Analysing Gareth Bale's Performance vs. Schalke

Behind a blitz of goals from Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday at Veltins-Arena, Real Madrid dominated Schalke to the tune of 6-1. 

Given that Schalke would have to travel to Santiago Bernabeu and win by five goals just to get to the tiebreaker, it is safe to pencil Real Madrid into the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Not even Schalke's Julian Draxler is going to argue that point. 

"The difference in class was clear," Draxler said in a quote captured by Nesha Starcevic on newstimes.com. "We can forget about the second leg and concentrate on the Bundesliga."

The above-mentioned Real Madrid trio took care of all of Real's scoring, as they each picked up a brace. The world's most expensive footballer was at the center of the intense attack. 

Benzema started off the day's scoring 13 minutes into the match, but it was Bale who got things started on that run.

Bale made a move inside and then passed to Ronaldo. Ronaldo then tried a nifty backheel, but it was deflected...right to Benzema, who easily netted the goal. 

It was Bale's turn next. 

In the 21st minute, it was Benzema who made it inside and then found Bale. With some excellent footwork and dribbling, Bale befuddled the Schalke defense and then hit a shot with pinpoint accuracy through a tiny window. 

Have a look: 

GIF Credit: MemeDeportes.com

That capped the scoring for the first half. 

Ronaldo and Benzema both authored scores in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and then Bale picked up his brace. Although, his second strike was far less spectacular than his first. 

It began with Sergio Ramos' straight pass. That left Bale to do what he does best: run onto the ball.

That left Bale with little work to do to net his side's fifth score on the day. 

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

This is the kind of match that had Real Madrid break the bank for Bale. Take a look at his night's work in numbers as provided by Squawka Football: 

It's not that he's been a disappointment, he just hasn't been overwhelmingly awesome. Bale has had some annoying injuries, and the crowded Real Madrid attack has taken him some getting used to. 

He appears to be getting used to it now, and his manager was eager to rave about his performance, via WeAreMadrid10: 

Schalke went fairly listlessly in this match, but with Bale and his cohorts playing at such a high level, it is easy to see how the tough German side was overwhelmed.