Atlético moves closer to UCL quarter-finals as Spurs falter.
MADRID — During the first half, as Tottenham Hotspur faltered and Atlético Madrid seized the opportunity, there was a sense of astonishment at the Metropolitano. Even the most hopeful Atlético supporter could not have envisioned this: 1-0 ahead after six minutes. 2-0 ahead after 14 minutes. 3-0 ahead after 15 minutes. 4-0 ahead after 22 minutes.
Atlético has achieved impressive results at home this season. They triumphed over Real Madrid 5-2 in the derby in September and dominated Barcelona 4-0 here last month in the Copa del Rey. However, this is the UEFA Champions League, in a last-16 matchup against Premier League rivals: a Spurs team that — looking back, quite inexplicably — finished fourth in the league phase.
And here Atlético was, taking advantage of Spurs’ self-inflicted errors, seemingly sealing the tie before it had even begun with the 5-2 victory.
The supporters at the Metropolitano were unsure how to react. When Tottenham’s unfortunate starting goalkeeper, Antonín Kinsky, was substituted by coach Igor Tudor after just 17 minutes, having made glaring unforced errors leading to two of Atlético’s first three goals, the crowd’s response was not what one might anticipate.
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There was no chorus of boos from the home supporters, nor a desire to criticize. Instead, there were some encouraging cheers, and even some whistles for the substitution when it was announced. It was a display of sympathy and understanding, highlighting just how difficult this must have been for Kinsky, who received none of that compassion from Tudor, who remained unmoved on the sidelines as the goalkeeper walked past, head down.
For Spurs, this striking result may not represent rock bottom, even if it felt very much like it during the first half. There remains the daunting possibility of relegation from the Premier League, where survival, Tudor acknowledged before the match, is his team’s “primary objective.” “[The Champions League] is something additional,” he stated. Based on this first leg’s evidence, it may not be something additional for long.
The Metropolitano evokes painful memories for Tottenham, being the site of their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final. That loss may have stung more, just 90 minutes away from what could have been the best night in the club’s history, but Tuesday’s outcome hurt in a different manner: the embarrassment of the first half, the sensation that all of Europe was watching, wide-eyed, and thinking: What on earth is happening over there?
In contrast, this stadium has been a stronghold for Atlético this season. In 21 home matches across LaLiga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, Diego Simeone’s squad has secured 18 victories, drawn one, and lost two.
Their away performance has been quite different — with eight wins, seven draws, and seven losses — making their chances of advancing deep into the Champions League knockout stage reliant on their ability to secure ties at home, putting them out of reach of their opponents before the uncertainty of the away leg.
Against Tottenham, they found willing partners. In the sixth minute, Kinsky stumbled while attempting to play the ball out from the back, handing it to Ademola Lookman. Lookman passed to Julián Álvarez, who then found Marcos Llorente, who calmly made it 1-0.
Kinsky’s blunder for the third goal was even more comical, as he attempted to quickly play a backpass and instead sent the ball directly into the path of Alvarez, who could not miss. That was the goalkeeper’s final action in the match, as he was substituted by Tudor immediately afterward.
If there was one source of frustration for Atlético on the night — highlighted by Simeone’s furious, animated reaction to Pedro Porro’s goal that made it 4-1 in the 26th minute — it is that at 5-2, the tie is not definitively over.
Atlético has previously come close to collapsing under pressure away from home in the recent past.
That 4-0 Copa del Rey semifinal victory over Barcelona was followed by a 3-0 defeat in the second leg last week, with Barça agonizingly close to equalizing the tie. This result may provide slight comfort to Tottenham and will surely be analyzed by Tudor’s coaching staff ahead of next week’s second leg in north London.
“The two goals were unfortunate,” Antoine Griezmann remarked after the match. “We need to improve on what we did in Barcelona, so we don’t repeat it.”
In reality, the chances of a repeat seem slim. Barcelona believed they could overturn that tie and nearly succeeded. Tottenham, deep down, will not share that belief. By the final whistle on Tuesday, the away section at the Metropolitano was nearly empty as the Spurs players approached to applaud the few remaining fans who had stayed. They did not believe, either.
