Gomes howler seals Tottenham exit

Posted Thursday, April 14, 2011 by UK.eurosport.yahoo.com

Real Madrid confirmed a Champions League semi-final meeting with Barcelona after a 1-0 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane completed a 5-0 aggregate victory.

Cristiano Ronaldo, booed throughout by the home crowd, found the perfect response to the jeers by scoring the only goal of the game early in the second half as keeper Heurelho Gomes dropped the kind of clanger Spurs fans thought was behind him.

With such a commanding lead from last week's first leg at the Bernabeu, a 28th appearance in the last four of the competition was never really in doubt for the Madrid club, who managed to keep Spurs' threat at arm's length in what was, initially at least, an electric atmosphere in North London.

The result means Madrid will now meet their arch rivals Barcelona, who safely progressed past Shakhtar Donetsk a night earlier, for the first time in European competition since 2002, with a place in May's final in London up for grabs.

Before the match, Madrid boss Jose Mourinho said Spurs would need to score more than five to progress, such was his belief in his side's ability to breach the home defences.

And that confidence appeared well placed when after just three minutes Madrid prised apart the Spurs back line and Mesut Ozil homed in on goal: only a weak sidefooted finish from the German World Cup star kept the score goalless.

But, with goals the order of the day for Spurs, the home side also started on the front foot, and just a minute later they had the first of three first-half penalty shouts turned down as Gareth Bale went down under a challenge from Xabi Alonso.

Soon after, Bale again got down the left flank and his cross eventually found Luka Modric, who tumbled to the ground. But the referee, Italy's Nicola Rizzoli, again turned the appeals down.

A third big shout was waved away later in the opening period when Roman Pavlyuchenko - who had earlier blazed a good chance over the bar - clashed with Raul Albiol.

And when Bale had a sweet first-time strike chalked off for offside against Modric on 38 minutes, it was clear it was not going to be Spurs' night, despite their - and the up-for-it crowd's - best efforts.

Bale on the left and on the opposite flank Aaron Lennon - restored to the side after pulling out of the first leg through illness - were particularly in the mood, but the longer the game went on without a goal, the slimmer Tottenham's already waif-like hopes were of getting back into the tie.

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