One Night in Madrid

When it was announced that Harry Redknapp would have the chance to test his tactical nous against Jose Mourinho and the might of Real Madrid one member of the Sportsvibe office could not conceal his delight.

A dedicated Spurs fan, prepared to queue over-night outside White Hart Lane for tickets to the home leg (he must be mad), Joshua Modaberi immediately began his plans for the trip to Spain.

Below are the range of emotions of a man who left England hoping and praying that somehow, just maybe, Spurs could upset the nine time European champions.

This season has been one hell of a roller-coaster ride for Tottenham in their debut season in Europe’s premier football competition, not just for the players and coaches, but also for the fans.

After an incredible season in the 2009/10 Premier League, it was Peter Crouch who finally sealed Tottenham’s place in the Champions League with a memorable header against Manchester City at Eastlands.

Just three short months later it looked as though Tottenham would not even progress to the league stage of Europe’s elite competition. It took less than 30 minutes of action on the artificial turf for fans to realise this would be no easy journey.

Spurs may have been the favourites but with Tottenham being Tottenham things don’t tend to go to plan and half-an-hour into the 1st leg, all the hard work of the previous season looked to have been in vain as Young Boys led 3-0.

This, however, was just a minor blip on the road to Madrid. Sébastien Bassong and Roman Pavlyuchenko were able to pull goals back for Spurs as they lost 3-2 before comfortably progressing to the group stages after winning 4-0 at the Lane.

The European adventure was now underway and we could look forward to massive European nights against the likes of Werder Bremen, FC Twente and the current holders Inter Milan.

In the group stages Tottenham got off to a nightmare start in the San Siro - 4-0 down at half-time. Things looked bleak, but a certain Welsh winger made the whole of Europe stand up and take notice by scoring a breath-taking hat-trick.

Momentum was starting to build and after beating the reigning European champions 3-1 at the Lane, it was time for the knockout stages of the tournament.

Seven-time European cup winners AC Milan were next and this time round Spurs showed a lot more composure both defensively and going forward and a single Peter Crouch goal was enough to see Spurs make it safely through to the quarter-finals.

Then it happened. Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho. Cristiano Ronaldo. Spurs were going to have the chance to play a team that is synonymous with the Champions League.

Tickets booked, flights booked, it was time to head to Madrid. The pilgrimage to the Spanish capital was under way with fans using all modes of transport to catch a glimpse of Tottenham take on the Galácticos at the Santiago Bernabéu.

The atmosphere was building during the day as fans gathered in the main square Plaza Mayo. The sun was shining, the beer was flowing and Spurs fans were certainly in good voice.

This was truly the ‘European tour’ all Tottenham fans wanted and they were letting everyone know about it with songs of ‘Tottenham at the Bernabeu, Arsenal watching Emmerdale.’

When getting off at the metro station that shares the same as the Real stadium and seeing the magnificent arena in front of your eyes, it is a sight to behold.

Yet, once in the stadium you got a true feel for how big a task this was going to be. The whole stadium is steeped in history and you immediately felt this was going to be a tough night for Redknapp’s charges.

But with all that said, this is the view of a fan and you would have hoped the players wearing those Tottenham shirts would have been able to enjoy the occasion and come out all guns blazing.

Of course it is harder said than done and it showed once again on the pitch as the big stage seemed to get to the Spurs players. If conceding an early goal against one of Europe’s elite clubs wasn’t bad enough, the man that got them to the Champions League in the first place could be the one that has cost them progressing even further in tournament.

Crouch, who has never made a tackle in his entire career, suddenly decided to turn himself into a tough tackling midfielder and was booked twice within the opening 15 minutes to leave Spurs with 10 men.

After that Jose Mourhino’s side dominated proceedings with some fine passing, silky skills, and stretching the Tottenham squad all over the pitch. Redknapp’s side did have a few half chance to score but that was it, as Real have surely put a nail into the Tottenham coffin.

However, being the eternal optimist, it is only half time and an early goal for Tottenham at White Hart Lane next Wednesday could have everyone believing a comeback is possible. Well it would have me believing.

Tottenham have been entertaining for the neutral and have given some of their own fans heart-attack moments, but we would all love to go through it again and lets just hope it won’t be too long before another European campaign.

Connect with Sportsvibe by joining our social media network. Join the debate to get your voice heard and stay informed with up-to-the-minute news, videos, competitions and articles from the world of sport.


Follow us on Twitter: @sportsvibe_says and @sportsvibe

Follow us on Facebook: Sportsvibe Says