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by Philipina A. Marcelo
After that goal by Cristiano Ronaldo... uhm, more correctly, after that mistake by Heurelho Gomes - the embattled goal keeper of Tottenham Hotspur FC - any hope for Tottenham to make good of the "nothing is impossible" remark by their coach, Harry Redknapp, alluding to their hope for a 2nd leg quarter-final come back from their 4-0 first leg murder by Real Madrid CF in Santiago Bernabéu, had become nothing but impossible! Football fans in White Hart Lane tried - very hard - to launch a great wave of cheers that the Hotspur could ride to erase their four-goal deficit against the Meringues... to no avail! José Mourinho's men went for the kill in London!
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The Road to 'La Decima'...
If the Hotspur's spirited first-half attempts at the goal in White Hart Lane made the Merengues gasped a little, Iker Casillas stayed focused about not conceding a goal - and he succeeded, too. Just an illustration of why he is the best goalkeeper in the world! But what really foiled Redknapp and his charge's hopes was a CR7 kick that sent the
ball straight into Gomes's arms, and Gomes fumbling awkwardly, sending the ball to his own goal! It was truly unforgettable - all for its sheer absurdity... and, yeah, bad luck, too. To me, however, Gomes's fumble was not the main Tottenham blooper in their Champions League quarter-final run. It was the idiotic action of their striker, Peter Crouch in the first leg encounter with the Merengues - and only 15 minutes from the first-half whistle blow as well. With a heroic Emmanuel Adebayor goal for the Merengues on the 4th minute of the opening half, Tottenham was on the run for an equalizer.
Possessed by some gods of stupidity, Crouch tackled Marcelo needlessly after previously bringing down Sergio Ramos on the 11th minute (but, yeah, thanks for that one, lad)that booked him on the second leg of the quarter-final. The Marcelo tackle sent Crouch out with a red card! That left his side limping all throughout the match, and sending their chances to advance to the semi-finals spiraling downward into the drain. What was he thinking? While Real Madrid is no FC Barcelona, no side could win a match against the Mourinho-managed side with only 10 men... and in a most important quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League, too... and at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu even! Aaargh, Peter Crouch, shame on you! While Real Madrid could not take advantage of the limping Tottenham squad in the first-half of the first leg match, thanks to the spirited attempts of Gareth Bale,
the second-half was a different story. The Merengues finally realized Peter Crouch's gift to them... and they took advantage with wild pace that the 10-man Tottenham cannot keep up to. Emmanuel Adebayor then headed the ball to the goal very nicely from a Marcelo corner - his second in the match - and Ángel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo contributing a piece to complete nice playmaking from Xabi Alonso and Mesut Özil, and Kaka, respectively. And so, the Merengues headed for the second leg of their quarter-final match with Tottenham in London with some swagger to their walk - and quite reasonably, too. But I have to say, they had a lot of help from Peter Crouch! The Tottenham striker helped the Merengues build a hill too steep to climb for his side in the second leg, while he probably watched the second leg of the QF from the comforts of his living room with his feet on a mantel. I wish I could say, "but that's football...," but that would sound too kind for Peter Crouch! And I choose not to be kind to him. So, yeah, shame on you, Peter Crouch!
In the end, not only did Tottenham's efforts looked pathetic (pardon me, Gareth Bale) in the second leg of their QF with Real Madrid, it was also quite painful for football fans to watch! Real Madrid wasn't even playing great... they were just being their usual selves - brilliant players (and coach?) whose talents just don't gel to make a brilliant team. I swear I tried to pay close attention, but the match was just too boring that it can't compete with my book on Albert Einstein! :) I have to confess though that everytime the White Hart Lane crowd does a chorus for a resounding "booooooo" and a mocking snicker, it made me look up... even when I already knew it was all for Cristiano Ronaldo! =) Why do I get the feeling that, at some point, football fans around the world would find it "fun" to do the same to "The Special One"? :) Hmmm... maybe he should make a bigger effort to hide his "special weapon", huh? Hey, Mou, don't tell me I didn't warn you, eh!! =)
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Smelling like 'La Decima'?
Going to London for their away game with Tottenham on the 13th of April 2011, obviously, Real Madrid had only one thing in mind - the mouthwatering sweetness of "La Decima"! With nine
UEFA Champions League title to their name, the last one won back in 2002 when CR7 was still wondering about his growing muscles, Mourinho and his men want a tenth! And if CR7's attempt to seal the deal in London was the lamest of all attempts, it was enough to have them thinking about going up against FC Barcelona for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals... in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, of all places! With the amazing chain of "good luck" they've had on their way to the semi-finals, it makes me nervous to think about their chances against Barҫa. Oh, please, I don't want to imagine José Mourinho walking around with a voodoo doll, so, please don't make me! :) Dang, I can't shake it off my head now!Whatever it was that brought them to where they are now, hopefully, it was brilliance... Real Madrid is through to the semi-finals! And closer to achieving
La Decima at the UEFA Champions League, too. There is only one, uh, not so little problem along the remaining stretch of the road to La Decima: FC Barcelona! Or, should I say "Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona"? May Leo pardon me if that sounded like he's not a huge team player, because he is! And what did Sir Alex Ferguson of Machester United FC call him again? "Magician"? Sir Alex even admitted that watching FC Barcelona in action in the field is "a joy"! In that case, make that a GIANT problem, notwithstanding Messi's physical stature, of course! :) Therefore, the more interesting question is... "is the problem surmountable... at all"? I hope Mourinho wouldn't answer "nothing is impossible"! =)Make no mistake though... Victor Valdes is no Heurelho Gomes - whether that's good or bad, only time will tell! And, definitely, none of the Catalan strikers is a Peter Crouch! Hmmm, oh, gosh, I really hope so! But Real Madrid has Mourinho, of course... but then, hasn't Mourinho's nine-year "zero home loss" streak recently ended when the
Merengues lost to Sporting Gijon in La Liga at Bernabéu? Hmmm... the "Special One" (and "his voodoo doll"?) is not invincible afterall, huh? Of course, he could always reason that his injury-plagued side had Kaka, Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo all missing in that match. Sure, but isn't a "healthy and competitive bench" also a part of Football Tactics 101? He should know... afterall, isn't he the famed "tactician" of two winning sides in the UEFA Champions League? In case he's in doubt, he could ask Pep Guardiola, too - he knows. :) And, yeah, I'm pretty sure Mirceu Lucesco can vouch for Guardiola's opinion, too! :) No, I won't even start talking about the Azulgrana's Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and the comebacking team captain, the injury-free-at-last Carles Puyol. Uhm, what do Real Madrid's fanatics call Xavi and Iniesta again, "midgets"? :) As for "the other midget", I don't think it
would be kind to talk about the little man with giant talents, Leo Messi, either... especially, not when "Cristiano Ronaldo" is in the same sentence, nah-uh. And, hey, if the "Special One" himself refuses to talk about the impending El Clásico this weekend in Bernabéu, how could a lowly little amateur like me even make an attempt? So, let's just say, yes... Real Madrid could go on dreaming about La Decima, why not? But they should also keep in mind, and this isn't an amateurish comment this time either, that a strong sweet smell doesn't guarantee that the food is within reach! I'm a food scientist, I should know.... =) ***
Photo credits: All photos were grabbed from Zimbio - thanks!
