Gomes howler seals Tottenham exit

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

The wind in Spurs' sails was finally taken away for good five minutes after the break when Ronaldo broke the deadlock on the night with a swerving shot from outside the area that Gomes found too hot to handle.
The Brazilian struggled to pick the flight of the ball from the moment it left the Portuguese's boot and he allowed it to slip through his hands and into the back of the net.

Yet Spurs refused to capitulate and the hosts could have found an equaliser when Pavlyuchenko powered a header over the bar and then substitute Jermain Defoe tested Iker Casillas with a long-range effort.

Certainly, Spurs deserved something for their efforts and they were nearly rewarded as full-time approached when Rafael van der Vaart - disappointingly anonymous for much of the game - turned sweetly and shot just over the bar.

Chances fell at the other end too, as Gomes went some way to redeeming himself with a fingertip save to deny Kaka before Marcelo's audacious chip landed on the top of the Brazilian's net.

But further goals were not necessary; the damage had already been done and the tie won a week earlier in Madrid, to where attention will once again turn in a fortnight's time for the visit of Barca.

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