Madrid, March 11 (IANS) Atletico Madrid took a big step toward the Champions League quarterfinals with a 5-2 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Tottenham coach Igor Tudor said before the match that he was prioritizing Premier League survival over European progress, and his side made a disastrous start as Atletico led 4-0 after 22 minutes.
Tudor started with Antonin Kinsky in goal, even though the 22-year-old had not played a minute in either the Champions League or the Premier League this season. A mistake from Kinsky gifted Atletico the lead in the sixth minute when he slipped while trying to play the ball out from the back, allowing Marcos Llorente a simple finish.
Another slip, this time from Micky van de Ven, left Antoine Griezmann with a clear run on goal in the 14th minute and the Frenchman made no mistake to double Atletico’s lead. A further error from Kinsky then left Julian Alvarez with a tap-in a minute later.
Tudor replaced Kinsky with Guglielmo Vicario in the 17th minute, with the visibly upset goalkeeper heading straight down the tunnel as teammates followed to console him.
Vicario reacted quickly when Griezmann’s free kick was flicked on in the 22nd minute, but Robin Le Normand headed in the rebound to make it 4-0. Pablo Porro pulled a goal back for Tottenham four minutes later.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak made a fine save to stop Richarlison making it 4-2 in the 55th minute, and Atletico then restored its four-goal cushion as Griezmann released Alvarez, who outran the Tottenham defense and finished to make it 5-1.
Oblak then misplayed the ball at his feet, allowing Dominic Solanke to lash home Tottenham’s second, but Tottenham will need a much improved performance to have any chance of turning the tie around.
–IANS
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