Tottenham 0 Real Madrid 1:THE CHAMPIONS League quarter-final was lost before the sides even arrived at White Hart Lane and a Cristiano Ronaldo winner for Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid had a further dampening effect. Yet Tottenham Hotspur strove to make the evening memorable.
They can be consoled by the thought that the exploits under Harry Redknapp’s command will long be recalled by their followers.
There was plenty of noise to make this a raucous leaving-do as Tottenham departed the tournament. The excitement had been so great that it was impossible for the club to admit that the 4-0 loss at the Bernabeu had ended their run in the tournament. The public who had bought the tickets also sought a return of some sort on their loyalty.
They might have had a reward in the opening minutes when a challenge by Xabi Alonso on Luka Modric could well have seen a penalty awarded, although the referee, Nicola Rizzoli, took no action. The intensity of the crowd reaction waxed and waned, with excitement in one occasion falling away sharply when the onlookers realised again that nothing much was truly at stake, except the need to mark a fine campaign properly.
Mourinho rejected all thought of compromise. It might have made sense to try and ensure that none of his players were banned from the first leg of a semi-final with Barcelona, but instead he started with Sergio Ramos, Ricardo Carvalho, Raul Albiol, and Ronaldo, who were all one caution away from suspension.
There was enough intensity for Mourinho’s approach to go wrong and Carvalho, rightly shown a yellow card for a foul on Tom Huddlestone, will be banned for the first meeting with Barcelona.
This match carried particular significance for one Tottenham player. Aaron Lennon had withdrawn through illness from the first leg and the winger’s impact here increased as the match settled down and his pace started to unsettle opponents.
A breakthrough in the match would have delighted the crowd and an invitation to do so should have been presented when Albiol clipped Roman Pavlyuchenko, but the Italian official was still implacable in his resistance to penalty claims.
Tottenham’s tempo rose. A victory over Real is, after all, a prize to be pursued under any circumstances.
Spurs face a challenge in sustaining the excitement it has stirred in the Champions League. While Real could be confident of advancing to the last four, they found themselves confronted by highly competitive opponents. If there was nothing of substance truly at issue, the Tottenham craving for pride unsettled the opposition slightly in the first half.
Real were subdued, but Tottenham lacked the calm in those 45 minutes to concern them deeply. Pavlyuchenko, for instance, had been wild when sending a shot high from a promising position. While the centre-forward looked committed, Tottenham might have been ruing the unavailability of Peter Crouch, banned after his red card in the first match.
The hosts soon had rather more than that to regret. Five minutes after the interval Ronaldo let fly from 30 yards and while there was pace and movement on the drive, the goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, ought to have done far better than to palm that attempt behind his head before turning to see it drop over the line.
Real’s lead had increased to 5-0 in the tie and the spirit of the home crowd waned to such an extent that the cheers of the visiting support were audible. There was relaxed amusement, too, when Ronaldo came to the touchline to have the laces on one boot re-tied by a member of the backroom staff. Nearby fans jeered and took it in good part when the Portuguese responded with a rude gesture.
The contest still had moments of authenticity and Pavlyuchenko should have equalised in this game instead of sending a header from Rafael van der Vaart’s cross onto the roof of the net in the 58th minute. Jermain Defoe was soon introduced for Lennon as Tottenham searched for sharper finishing. The substitute called on Iker Casillas to carry out genuine work as the goalkeeper turned his drive behind and tested him again later.
* Guardian Service
TOTTENHAM:Gomes, Corluka, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon (Defoe 60), Huddlestone (Sandro 71), Modric (Kranjcar 83), Bale, Van der Vaart, Pavlyuchenko. Subs not used:Cudicini, Kaboul, Jenas, Bassong.
REAL MADRID:Casillas, Sergio Ramos (Granero 57), Carvalho, Albiol, Arbeloa, Alonso (Benzema 75), Khedira, Ronaldo (Kaka 65), Ozil, Marcelo, Adebayor. Subs not used:Adan, Garay, Higuain, Di Maria. Booked: Carvalho, Granero.
Referee:Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).
