Madrid beats Spurs 1-0, makes semi vs. Barcelona

Posted Thursday, April 14, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

LONDON (AP)—Real Madrid completed its untroubled progress past Tottenham into the semifinals of the Champions League on Wednesday when Cristiano Ronaldo gave the record nine-time European champions a 1-0 win in London.

Ronaldo’s 40th goal of the season secured a 5-0 aggregate win over Tottenham, ending the English club’s debut campaign in the tournament and ensuring a semifinal meeting with fierce historic rival Barcelona.

Already 4-0 ahead from the first leg of the teams’ quarterfinal, Madrid fielded a strong lineup and withstood pressure before Ronaldo’s speculative shot from about 30 meters (yards) was fumbled over the line by goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.

Madrid now faces Barcelona four times in 18 days starting Saturday in the Spanish league. The teams then meet in the final of Spain’s Copa del Rey before the two-legged Champions League semifinal.

Barcelona beat Madrid 5-0 at Camp Nou this season, but Madrid coach Jose Mourinho takes the club into its first semifinal for eight years having twice won the Champions League.

He led FC Porto to the 2004 title and last season engineered a semifinal win over Barcelona on the way to winning the trophy with Inter Milan.

“Let’s see what happens,” Mourinho said. “A semi is a semi and anything can happen.”

Despite three hopeful calls for first-half penalties and a goal by Gareth Bale ruled out for offside, Tottenham never looked like becoming the first team to recover a four-goal deficit in Europe’s premier club competition.

“We lost it to a better team but we’re disappointed to go out,” Bale said.

Tottenham must now recover from that disappointment to close a three-point gap on the top four in the Premier League to reach the Champions League for a second straight season.

Madrid defender Sergio Ramos almost scored with a header to the top right corner eight minutes before halftime, but Gomes leaped to keep it out and Ronaldo put the rebound into the side netting.

Gomes also made a full-length save from a long-range shot by substitute Kaka, but his performance was marred by the latest high-profile blunder of his time with Spurs.

Tottenham’s raucous fans were subdued by the goal but stayed to the end to give a standing ovation to a side that beat Italian powers Inter Milan and AC Milan to surprisingly be among the last eight clubs.

They had little else to cheer.

Bale hit a free kick against the wall, Roman Pavlyuchenko blasted Aaron Lennon’s cross over the bar and Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas saved Lennon’s curling free kick to the far post.

Madrid’s Mesut Oezil had a low shot saved by Gomes in the second minute for the game’s first chance before some searing runs down the left wing from Bale had the home fans chanting the Wales winger’s name.

But Marcelo soon became a pivotal figure in midfield, intercepting passes to snuff out Tottenham’s moves and instigating Madrid’s counters with his own short, sharp passes.

Madrid’s fans were jubilant for the last 40 minutes, chanting Mourinho’s name and reveling in the prospect of meeting Barcelona.