• Premier League

Gomes refuses to dwell on error

Gomes dropped a clanger as Tottenham lost to Real Madrid at White Hart Lane © PA Photos

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Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes says he is determined to put his error during Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the past for the good of the team.

Gomes, who had been criticised for his failure to prevent Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in the 4-0 loss at the Bernabeu last week, fumbled a Ronaldo shot at White Hart Lane as Madrid secured a 5-0 aggregate victory.

The mistakes brought back memories of his error-strewn performances when he first joined Spurs from PSV Eindhoven in 2008, but he made a sharp improvement after Harry Redknapp took charge of the club and is determined to rediscover his form.

"The ball moved a little bit but it was a mistake and I accept it," Gomes said. "This was not my first mistake and I know it will not be the last one in my career, but I need to show character like I did before.

"I know I was so important for the club and I need to move on because they need me. We have a lot of big games coming up and I need to recover quick. It was a difficult moment for me but I have to look forward because I know how important that is for the team."

In spite of the heavy defeat, Tottenham have exceeded expectations in their debut Champions League season, finishing above last season's winners, Inter, in the group stage before eliminating AC Milan.

"It's not easy qualifying in first place and then to play against AC Milan and Real Madrid in our first season is great," Gomes said. "If we continue to play like we have done in the last few games then I think we can continue improving.

"There are a lot of teams with more experience in the competition, but I think we are on the right way to challenging [for trophies] and we need to keep going now."

Spurs now face an uphill battle to return to the competition. They are currently three points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with a game in hand, but face a taxing run-in that includes games against Arsenal, Chelsea, City and Liverpool.

"The dream is over but we will still keep going to make sure we get a place in next year's competition," Gomes added. "There are a lot of big games coming up and we need to look forward to those games. This season is not over yet.

"Our next game, against Arsenal, will be massive for us. We know that and we want to be in the top four and we need to be strong."

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