Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp admitted his side faced an “impossible” task against Real Madrid following Peter Crouch’s red card.
Crouch was sent off inside the opening 15 minutes on at the Bernabeu, with two yellow cards coming as a result of reckless tackles, as Spurs crashed to a 4-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with the Spanish giants.
And Redknapp conceded afterwards that Tottenham were always facing an uphill battle after going down to 10 men.
He said: “I knew it would be a difficult night here but to come here and lose a player after 10 minutes made it impossible for us really.
“I haven't seen a replay of the tackle (that led to Crouch’s second yellow card), the referee made the decision and I'm sure he made what he thought was the right decision.
“I haven't seen it but he shouldn't have taken the chance, he's already got a yellow card. He shouldn't take the chance that he might get a red card, so that's disappointing.”
Real Madrid counterpart Jose Mourinho agreed, telling Sky Sports: “I played in Barcelona with Chelsea with 10 men, impossible. I played in Barcelona with Inter with 10 men, impossible. Arsenal played against Barcelona a few weeks ago with 10 men, it is impossible.
“It just a question of the team with 11 staying concentrated, playing with a high tempo and not letting the opponent breathe. We did that in the second half, not so much in the first half.
“It is an impossible job. It is just a question of getting three or four. It is an impossible mission and I feel sorry for them because 11 against 11, the match would have been much better.
“Tottenham had to be defensive, with two lines of four at the back, and they couldn't play their match. It was good for us because we got a good result, but it was difficult for them.”