Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Real Madrid, 2011 UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid Progress With 1-0 Win

Well, that ends Tottenham Hotspur's European dream, which had been on life support within a quarter-hour of the first leg kicking off in Madrid. Nobody really had any hope that Spurs would mount a miracle comeback against Real Madrid after being battered 4-0 in the first leg, but a positive result at home would at least have ended their Champions League campaign on a high note.

That wasn't to be either, although Harry Redknapp's men came close to breaking the deadlock several times in a frenetic first half. Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, and Roman Pavlyuchenko were all denied penalties - some with stronger claims than others, and Bale also had a goal ruled out for offside, much to his dismay. Both sides were slopping in midfield, a problem that led to a succession of fast breaks throughout the first half. Mesut Ozil missed a massive chance for the visitors when one on one with Heurelhio Gomes, and Pavlyuchenko was also guilty of several miscued shots as he tried to haul Spurs back into the match.

The second half was ended almost before it began by a Cristiano Ronaldo goal that Gomes really ought to have saved. The Portuguese dangerman picked up the ball about 25 yards out and thumped a shot right down the middle, straight at Gomes. The Brazilian goalkeeper should have caught it, but instead of making the stop he opted to go for some sort of punch and more or less missed it entirely, only succeeding in deflecting the ball ever so slowly into the back of the net.

I think by this time even the staunchest of optimists had realised that there was absolutely zero way Tottenham were getting back into the game - they needed six goals in half an hour to avoid a knockout. With Madrid in total control, Ronaldo was rested and Sergio Ramos was pulled to avoid a suspension for next game (no such luck for Richardo Carvalho, however), and the game slowly petered out from there.

Tottenham's priority now is to ensure that they make it back to the Champions League next year - they're currently sitting in fifth in the Premier League and in severe danger of losing out to Manchester City for fourth. Real, meanwhile, have a semifinal against Barcelona to prepare for. Who's ready for the biggest game of the season?