Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham: Kinsky errors deepen Igor Tudor’s misery
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie, as a disastrous performance piled pressure on head coach Igor Tudor.
Despite Tudor recently insisting he remains confident Spurs will avoid relegation from the Premier League, the club’s struggles in 2026 continued with another chaotic display marked by costly defensive mistakes.
Atletico race into early three-goal lead
The hosts stunned Tottenham with three goals inside the opening 14 minutes.
Goalkeeper Antonín Kinský endured a nightmare Champions League debut after slipping while attempting to play the ball out from the back. Julián Álvarez seized possession and squared for Marcos Llorente, who fired home the opener.
Tottenham’s defensive problems continued shortly after when Micky van de Ven lost his footing while receiving a pass from Pape Matar Sarr.
The error allowed Antoine Griezmann to run through on goal and calmly double Atletico’s advantage.
The nightmare worsened almost immediately after the restart as Kinsky mishit another pass straight to Álvarez, who walked the ball into an empty net to make it 3-0.
Atletico maintain control despite Spurs response
Kinsky was substituted soon after, with Guglielmo Vicario replacing him in goal. However, Atletico added a fourth when a dangerous free-kick was flicked toward goal by Sarr and eventually bundled in by Robin Le Normand.
Tottenham managed to pull one back before halftime through Pedro Porro, who combined with Richarlison before drilling a low shot into the net.
Alvarez leads Atletico’s attacking display
Spurs began the second half with renewed urgency, but Atletico quickly extended their lead once again.
Goalkeeper Jan Oblak produced a strong save to deny Richarlison before Atletico launched a rapid counter-attack just seconds later.
Griezmann’s precise control set up Álvarez, who finished clinically to score his second of the night.
Tottenham did reduce the deficit late on when Dominic Solanke capitalised on a loose clearance from Oblak to score with 10 minutes remaining.
However, the two-goal consolation offered little comfort, leaving Spurs with a daunting task in the return leg in north London next week.