Tottenham had a night to forget as Atletico Madrid ran out 5–2 winners in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday.
The game started badly for Spurs. Marcos Llorente put Atletico ahead in the 6th minute after Tottenham failed to clear a loose ball.
Just eight minutes later, Antoine Griezmann made it 2–0 with a neat finish, and Julián Álvarez added a third a minute after that, sliding the ball past the keeper.
Spurs were on the ropes early.
Things got worse in the 22nd minute when Robin Le Normand headed home from a corner to make it 4–0.
Tottenham finally pulled one back in the 26th minute through Pedro Porro, but Atletico kept pressing and looked completely in control.
The second half was more of the same. Álvarez scored his second in the 55th minute, and Atletico kept Spurs pinned back.
Dominic Solanke got a late goal in the 76th minute, but it did little to change the story of the night.
Tottenham looked stretched, slow to react, and often caught out by Atletico’s quick passing.
The Spanish side moved the ball fast, pressed high, and punished every mistake. Spurs’ attack rarely threatened and their defence kept giving the ball away at the wrong times.
The heavy defeat leaves Tottenham with a huge challenge for the second leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A three-goal deficit is never easy to overturn, and they will need near-perfect football if they want to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
