- Title: Ruthless Atletico punish Tottenham errors in 5-2 Champions League rout
- Date: 10th March 2026
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (MARCH 10, 2026) (REUTERS) ATLETICO MADRID COACH DIEGO SIMEONE ARRIVING FOR PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH, DIEGO SIMEONE, SAYING: “There was a match where we forced things to happen. The truth is that everything went our way, especially in the first 22 minutes.” PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATLETICO MADRID COACH, DIEGO
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Antonin Kinsky Atletico Madrid Diego Simeone Igor Tudor Spurs Tottenham Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Champions League Wanda Metropolitano
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Europe,Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001282710032026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Atletico Madrid tore Tottenham Hotspur apart in a stunning first‑half blitz on Tuesday (March 10), powering to a 5‑2 victory in the first leg of their Champions League last‑16 tie and leaving the Premier League side with a mountain to climb in London.
Diego Simeone’s side needed barely a quarter of an hour at the Metropolitano Stadium to seize control, scoring three times in nine chaotic minutes as Spurs unravelled.
Marcos Llorente struck after six minutes when goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky slipped while playing the ball out, Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead in the 14th after Micky van de Ven lost his footing, and Julian Alvarez walked in the third after Kinsky miscued a clearance — the earliest a team has gone three goals up in a Champions League knockout match.
Kinsky, making only his third appearance of the season and his first since October, endured a night to forget and was substituted in the 17th minute by coach Igor Tudor immediately after Atletico’s third goal.
His replacement Guglielmo Vicario had little time to settle, and Atletico added a fourth when Robin Le Normand headed in after a rebound from Griezmann’s free kick.
Tudor defended his decision to withdraw the visibly distressed goalkeeper, saying it was necessary to protect both the player and the team.
It was the hapless Kinsky's first appearance since October and only his third of the season.
Tudor, who has lost all four games since he took charge of Spurs in late February after being sacked by Italian giants Juventus, said his job security was not a topic for him.
Tottenham briefly responded when Pedro Porro scored in the 26th minute, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished after the break when Griezmann released Alvarez from inside his own half and the forward sprinted clear to score Atletico’s fifth.
Dominic Solanke later punished an error by Atletico keeper Jan Oblak to give Spurs a second goal.
Simeone also welcomed Griezmann’s recent comments about his future, saying the forward understood his importance to the club and expressing hope he could continue to prove his value as Atletico push towards the end of the season.
Atletico now head to London next Wednesday firmly on course for the last eight, carrying a commanding three‑goal advantage after a display that punished every Tottenham misstep.
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