If there was ever a match that deserved to be called a tragicomedy, this was it. For the first 25 minutes at the Atletico Madrid fortress, Tottenham Hotspur were simply dismantled. The London side’s defensive display bordered on farce, while stand-in goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky endured a nightmare start after being surprisingly named in the starting XI by the coaching staff.

The game was effectively decided in a devastating ten-minute spell. Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez struck between the 6th and 16th minutes to make it 3–0, leaving the visitors stunned. Just minutes later, Robin Le Normand added a fourth in the 23rd minute, putting the contest beyond doubt before the half-hour mark.

The chaos in the Tottenham Hotspur camp was underlined by a drastic decision from head coach Igor Tudor. By the 17th minute, Antonin Kinsky had already been substituted, replaced by Guglielmo Vicario. It was a desperate move — but also a necessary one — as the manager attempted to correct a costly gamble.

Yet surprisingly, Tottenham Hotspur looked far more convincing going forward than they did at the back. At times it felt like watching two completely different teams. Defensively, the visitors resembled a side struggling at the bottom of the EFL Championship. In attack, however, they showed flashes of a solid Premier League outfit. Pedro Porro pulled one back before the break, and Dominic Solanke added another in the second half to at least give the travelling fans something to cheer.

By then, though, Atletico Madrid had already eased off the throttle. With the result effectively secured from the 25th minute onward, Diego Simeone’s side managed the game comfortably. On 55 minutes, Julian Alvarez burst forward on a lightning counter-attack and coolly beat Guglielmo Vicario to make it 5–1, underlining the Spanish side’s dominance.

2025-26 UEFA Champions League

Atletico Madrid - Tottenham 5:2 (4:1)
Goals: Llorente M., 6 (1:0); Griezmann, 14 (2:0); Álvarez Jul., 16 (3:0); Le Normand, 23 (4:0); Porro, 26 (4:1); Álvarez Jul., 55 (5:1); Solanke, 76 (5:2)

Atletico Madrid: Oblak; Hancko; Ruggeri; Pubill; Le Normand; Cardoso Joao; Llorente M. (Barrios P., 68); Griezmann (Koke, 81); Álvarez Jul. (Gonzalez N., 73); Simeone G-o; Lookman (Sørloth, 66)
Substitution: Sørloth (from 66); Barrios P. (from 68); Gonzalez N. (from 73); Koke (from 81)
Bench: Musso; Díaz J.; Gimenez Jose; Lenglet; Molina N.; Vargas Ob.; Álex Baena; Almada

Tottenham: Kinský (Vicario G., 17); Romero C.; Porro; Spence D. (Simons Xavi, 83); van de Ven; Gray; Danso; Sarr P.; Kolo Muani (Solanke, 46); Richarlison (Palhinha, 68); Tel M. (Gallagher C., 46)
Substitution: Vicario G. (from 17); Gallagher C. (from 46); Solanke (from 46); Palhinha (from 68); Simons Xavi (from 83)
Bench: Austin; Dragusin; Olusesi
Yellow Cards: Spence D. 4; Richarlison 60; Gray 62; Danso 80