Brad Friedel says that the swerve Gareth Bale puts on his free-kicks is "a technique only a few players in the world have" and, although not impossible to stop, they're not far off.

Friedel was watching from the opposite end as Bale struck twice from a dead ball to beat Lyon 2-1 in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie. He couldn't help feeling an element of sympathy for Remy Vercoutre in the Lyon goal.

"I've seen the first one. There's no spin on the ball the way ...

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