Atlético Madrid had no mercy on Tottenham Hotspur in 5-2 victory in Champions League

Estadio Metropolitano witnessed a sensational match as Atlético Madrid humiliated visitors Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on March 10, 2026.

Atlético thrashed Spurs with five goals, beginning as early as the 6th minute as Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky crumbled on his UCL debut. The English club could only answer back with 2 goals, and now will have a huge deficit to cover in the second leg of the fixture next week.

Antonin Kinsky falters on Champions League debut with coach Igor Tudor's future in doubt

Tottenham Hotspur coach Igor Tudor had decided to start Antonin Kinsky, a choice he felt was right before the match. The 22-year-old keeper had to be subbed off only after 17 minutes after Spurs were already losing 3-0. No 1 goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario took charge and went on to concede two more goals in the match.

Fair to say, the Spurs coach's tactic had not worked out the way he wanted. Defending his choice in the post-match interview, Igor said, "Before the game it was the right choice. Where we are with pressure on Vicario, Toni [Antonin] is a very good goalkeeper. After this it is easy to say it was not the right decision."

The coach added, "I was speaking with Toni after. He is a bright guy, good goalkeeper and unfortunately it happened in this big game, these big mistakes...The start of the game was too much for us. In this moment when we are fragile, when we are weak."

Igor Tudor took charge of Spurs just 24 days ago and his future is already in question. Clearly, the team is yet to bounce back and the crushing blow dealt by Atlético makes his case worse.

When asked about the future and whether his managerial position is in doubt, Igor said, "I am not taking it that way. I recognised what we are and which problems we have. Every game something happens. It is difficult to explain."

On the other hand, Atlético Madrid will be going into the second leg with a massive advantage. The players delivered a strong performance, turning almost every opportunity into a goal.

The scoresheet

The parade of goals began with Marcos Llorente scoring in the 6th minute after Antonin failed to clear the ball. Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead in the 14th minute and Julián Alvarez followed suit in the 15th minute. The Argentine scored a brace with a second half goal in the 55th minute, which earned him the Player of the Match award. Robin Le Normand joined the first-half scorers with a goal in 22'.

Tottenham Hotspurs tried their best to recover, as Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke scored in the 26th and 76th minutes respectively, but it just wasn't enough.

While the second half was better for the visiting team, the damage had already been done and it is to be seen if they can come back from a three-goal deficit in the second leg.

Spurs will host the Spanish side next Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the two sides battle for a spot in the quarter-final of the Champions League.

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