Tottenham has been the Cinderella story of the Champions League, scoring goals, staging remarkable comebacks and defying most everyone's expectations. But on Tuesday, Spurs' European campaign was ground to a screeching halt after losing 4-0 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. It's not technically over, of course. There's the little matter of the return leg at White Hart Lane next week. But unless Spurs can break all manner of records, that match will be more of a formality, a 90-minute swan song to a wonderfully entertaining European run that is all but over.
In truth, Tuesday's game was over almost before it started. After all the talk about five Real Madrid players on a caution and in danger of being suspended for the return match at White Hart Lane, it was Peter Crouch who flipped the script. In the span of about seven minutes at the start of the first half, the England international was sent off for two reckless tackles, his spindly legs first taking out Sergio Ramos in the eight minute and then Marcelo in the 15th. If the first tackle was unnecessary, the second was stupidity personified.
After that, the job for Harry Redknapp and his players changed. Instead of hoping to nick an away goal, Spurs could only hope to keep the damage to just one goal. Mission accomplished in the first half, but Real's quality -- along with playing with an extra man -- eventually took its toll.
It was, of all players, a former Arsenal striker who inflicted the most pain on the Gunners' archrival. In just the fourth minute, Emmanuel Adebayor had a free header from eight yards out. Jermaine Jenas, who got the start when Aaron Lennon was scratched after injuring himself in the warm-up, failed to properly close down the 6-foot-3 Togolese. More impressive was his header in the 57th minute. After Cristiano Ronaldo, playing against expectations, hit a short corner to Marcelo, the left back dinked the ball to Adebayor, who masterfully directed his header to the corner of the goal, rendering keeper Gomes a spectator.
For Adebayor, that made 10 goals in 10 games against Spurs as an Arsenal and Real Madrid player. As someone who parted ways with Arsenal under less-than-ideal circumstances and couldn't nail down a starting role at Manchester City, the standing O that Adebayor received when he left the pitch in the 75th minute must have made him feel the best he's felt in a long, long time.
Someone else who was feeling good was Mourinho. On a day when his former club Inter, which he led to the European title last season, was dismantled by Schalke, the Special One watched his Real players destroy Spurs, especially in the second half. Mourinho's men controlled possession and patiently picked their spots to shoot. Angel di Maria hit one of the goals of the tournament when he got the ball on the left hand side, moved into the middle and unleashed a shot into the side netting. And Cristiano Ronaldo, showing no ill effects from his thigh injury, cracked a volley served up by Kaka that got by Gomes on the near post.Sure, Gomes should have done better, but despite some gutsy defending after going down a man, this was just an overall abysmal night for Spurs. From Lennon getting scratched before the game and Redknapp making the early mistake of playing Bale on the right-hand side until about the 15th minute to Crouch's mishap, Tottenham just couldn't find a way to get a grip on the game.
So dominant was Real's performance that even if Crouch hadn't been sent off, it would have been a minor miracle if Spurs found a way to win this match. Los Blancos thoroughly deserved the win, and major props for applying constant pressure and moving the ball all around the pitch.
Before the match, the cagey Mourinho said he'd settle for a nil-nil draw. After this comprehensive victory, he can now start plotting his strategy against his two possible semifinal opponents, Shakhtar Donetsk or, more than likely, Barcelona.