Gareth Bale Returns as Real Madrid Draw vs. Fuenlabrada in 2017 Copa Del Rey

Gareth Bale came off the bench to help Real Madrid qualifiy for the last 16 of the 2017 Copa Del Rey on Tuesday. Bale, who was returning from injury, provided two assists as Los Blancos drew 2-2 with Fuenlabrada to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Borja Mayoral turned both of Bale's assists into goals after Real suffered an early shock. They were one down in the first half when Luis Milla scored, prompting Bale's introduction as a substitute 17 minutes after the break.

Alvaro Portilla got a late equaliser for the visitors, but it wasn't enough.

Real welcomed goalkeeper Keylor Navas back into the starting XI. He was joined by squad players such as Dani Ceballos and Mateo Kovacic, while Bale began on the bench:

The changes didn't help Los Blancos start fast, though. Instead, it was Fuenlabrada who made all of the early running.

In fact, the visitors also boasted some cutting edge to go with their endeavour. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan described how the away side fashioned more than one promising chance:

Fuenlabrada's bold start was rewarded on 25 minutes when Milla struck a shot from distance. Navas tipped it on to the bar, but the ball hit him on the back and still rebounded over the line.

Stunned by the early deficit, Real's changed lineup struggled to create chances. Ceballos blazed a shot over from a promising position, but there was a general lack of pace and intuition to the home side's approach play.

Being one down at the break still didn't push Real manager Zinedine Zidane to bring Bale off the bench. The Wales international was fit again after injury, but Zidane was still proceeding with caution.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Without Bale, Los Blancos remained sluggish early in the second half. At the other end, Navas was drawn into a fine save and the visitors also hit the bar.

The narrow escape was enough to finally get Bale on to the pitch. He replaced Franchu on 62 minutes and soon took the tie away from the visitors.

His impact was immediate as he crossed for Mayoral to equalise. Sid Lowe of the Guardian succinctly summed up the quality of Bale's contribution:

Bale was the creative hub again when Los Merengues went in front with 20 minutes remaining. His deft touch off his heel released Mayoral in behind and the precocious forward made no mistake with his finish.

The 20-year-old has been prolific when given the chances to impress this season, per OptaJose:

Bale had opportunities to add a goal to his creative contributions but still needed to set his shooting radar. The rest of the Real team played a quicker, more fluent game but couldn't add to Mayoral's brace.

There was still time for Portilla to net a consolation goal a minute from time.

Los Blancos made it through, but many of their fringe players failed to give Zidane any selection dilemmas for subsequent league matches. Even so, the manager will be delighted by Bale's impact on his return.

Having Bale fit again and available to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema can boost Real's season in both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.