Gareth Bale defended his scattergun performance after Real Madrid were dumped out of the Champions League by Juventus last night.

Juve held Real to a 1-1 draw in their semifinal second-leg tie to reach the final 3-2 on aggregate.

"There have been some ups and downs but personally I think I've played well," he told Sky Sports of his season. "I've maybe not scored as many important chances as I'd like but my general play has been good. My finishing is not as good and that's something to work on for next year.

"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger and I'll learn from this season and take it on."

His best chance was a back-post header which he sent over from point-blank range.

"I got a slight touch (in the back) and I couldn't get over the ball," he said. "It's one of those things that happen in football and you move on."

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