Atletico Madrid capitalized on a calamitous Tottenham display to secure a 5-2 win in their Champions League round of 16 first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium on Tuesday.
Spurs collapsed early, conceding four goals inside 22 minutes, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky at fault for two of them. Julian Alvarez struck twice, while Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann, and Robin Le Normand also found the net for Diego Simeone’s side.
Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke pulled goals back for Tottenham, but the Premier League club slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat across all competitions, leaving them with a daunting task in the second leg.
Interim coach Igor Tudor’s gamble to start 22-year-old Kinsky backfired almost immediately. The Czech keeper slipped while attempting a pass, gifting possession to Ademola Lookman, who set up Llorente for the opener after just six minutes. Moments later, Micky van de Ven’s error allowed Griezmann to double Atletico’s lead before Kinsky’s miskick handed Alvarez a third.
Tudor substituted Kinsky after 17 minutes, replacing him with Guglielmo Vicario, but Atletico’s relentless pressing continued to expose Spurs’ defensive frailties. Alvarez later added his second, while Le Normand completed the rout.
Despite late goals from Porro and Solanke, Tottenham face an uphill battle to overturn the deficit at home, with their European hopes hanging by a thread.
