Real Madrid's Gareth Bale leaves match vs. Shakhtar Donetsk with apparent injury
Paul Hanna / Reuters
Real Madrid midfielder Gareth Bale saw his Champions League group stage opener against Shakhtar Donetsk cut short, leaving the match just before the half-hour mark with an apparent injury.
Bale started in midfield behind striker Karim Benzema but went down with an injury in the 27th minute, holding the tip of his foot - perhaps trying to stretch out his calf.
He was replaced by Mateo Kovacic soon after.
The nature of his injury remains a doubt but initial reports said Bale did indeed suffer a problem with his calf. He went down holding his leg and then walked gingerly off the pitch, and went straight down the tunnel.