Atlético Madrid Thrash Tottenham 5–2 to Take Commanding Champions League Lead
March 10, 2026
214d agoAtlético Madrid produced a ruthless performance on Tuesday night, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 5–2 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.
The Spanish side dominated the contest early, putting themselves firmly in control of the tie ahead of the second leg in London.
The hosts made a blistering start to the match.
Marcos Llorente opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead just eight minutes later. Julián Álvarez then capitalized on defensive mistakes to score the third goal, and defender Robin Le Normand added a fourth before the half-hour mark, leaving Spurs stunned after a disastrous opening spell.
Tottenham briefly responded through Pedro Porro, who pulled one back to give the visitors a glimmer of hope before halftime. However, Atlético remained in full control of the game.
Álvarez struck again early in the second half to restore the home side’s four-goal cushion and underline their attacking dominance on the night.
Dominic Solanke scored late for Tottenham to reduce the deficit, but the damage had already been done as Diego Simeone’s side comfortably saw out the match.
The heavy defeat leaves Spurs with a mountain to climb in the return leg if they hope to keep their Champions League campaign alive.
With a three-goal advantage heading into the second leg, Atlético Madrid now look strong favorites to advance to the quarter-finals, while Tottenham will need a remarkable comeback in North London to turn the tie around.
Video
React to this story
Feature Your Player
GET YOUR PLAYER FEATURED ON TIPNGOAL
Reach sports fans across all our platforms. Send us your player profile and we'll feature it.
Comments
💬
No comments yet — be the first on the app!