Real Madrid galactico Gareth Bale said it was "great" to score a dramatic late winner in Wednesday's 2-1 Club World Cup semifinal victory against Al Jazira, while saying he still had "some way to go" before he reached full fitness and that he as not a fan of VAR.
The opening 40 minutes saw Madrid take 17 shots, and have two goals disallowed, before Dubai-based Al Jazira took a barely believable lead when Brazilian forward Romarinho took advantage of some shambolic Blancos defending.
Even after Cristiano Ronaldo's equaliser early in the second half, Zinedine Zidane's side struggled to convert the chances which kept coming their way, hitting the woodwork four times in total, before Bale placed home Lucas Vazquez's cut-back with his first touch after entering with 10 minutes remaining.
Speaking on Teledeporte after the final whistle, Bale played down the dramatic impact he had made, saying he was just happy Madrid would be defending their CWC title in Saturday's final against Brazilian side Gremio.
"Obviously it was great to get the goal," Bale said. "You like to make an impact when you come in, that is why the boss puts you on. But the most important thing was we got the win and we are into the final."
The Wales international had only played 30 minutes in the past three months. He had a similar rescue job against third-tier Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey, and said he was not yet full over his persistent calf and thigh muscle problems.
"I still have some way to go, obviously," he said. "I need to be a bit patient, I have had a few problems. It takes some time but I will be working as hard as I can on and off the pitch to get where I want to be."
The game in Abu Dhabi also brought further controversy over FIFA's VAR technology, with Madrid's Karim Benzema and Casemiro having goals ruled out at 0-0, and then Al Jazira's thinking they had gone 2-0 ahead only for the officials to spot an offside.
"I don't like the VAR to be honest," Bale said when asked about how play had been regularly stopped to allow the officials to review incidents. "I think football is better without it, but that is just my opinion. Others make the decision, not me."