Just when you thought Tottenham Hotspur had fallen as far they could this season, Igor Tudor’s side dug a little deeper and reached a new low on Tuesday, when they conceded four goals in 22 embarrassing minutes away to Atletico Madrid.
MORE — UEFA Champions League bracket, schedule
So terrible was the start, that Tudor subbed off goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after 17 minutes — and two blunders that directly led to goals for Atleti. Kinsky was a surprise inclusion over Guglielmo Vicario and slated to make his UEFA Champions League debut for Spurs, in the round of 16 after not playing a minute during the eight-game league phase. Suffice to say, it wasn’t a dream come true in the end.
Kinsky slipped while taking a goal kick in the 6th minute, giving the ball straight to Julian Alvarez, who quickly found Marcos Llorente for an expert finish from the edge of the box. Defender Micky van de Ven wound up on his backside while turning to chase down a pass from Kevin Danso, left to watch helplessly as Antoine Griezmann took the ball into the box and scored to make it 2-0 in the 14th. Fewer than 15 seconds after the restart, the ball was back in Spurs’ box again, and this time Kinsky kicked the ball off the inside of his standing foot and laid face down on the ground while Alvarez walked the ball into an empty net.
14:59 - Atlético de Madrid's three goals against Tottenham Hotspur is the earliest a side has ever been three goals ahead in a UEFA Champions League knockout stage match. Demoralised. pic.twitter.com/ZUN4s5tqjO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 10, 2026
That’s when Kinsky, replaced by Vicario, which helped for about five minutes until Robin Le Normand scored a doorstep header for 4-0 after 22 minutes. Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke pulled back a couple of consolation goals, with a fifth goal for Atleti (by Alvarez) in between. Final score: 5-2.
MORE — Igor Tudor reaction
Spurs will host Atleti in north London for the second leg next Wednesday (4 pm ET). Only time will tell if Tudor is still the one in charge.
What’s next?
- Atletico Madrid vs Getafe — Saturday, 11:15 am ET
- Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur — Sunday, 12:30 pm ET
- Spurs vs Atleti — Wednesday, 4 pm ET (second leg)
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur live updates - by Andy Edwards
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur final score: 5-2
Goalscorers: Marcos Llorente (6'), Antoine Griezmann (14'), Julian Alvarez (16', 55'), Robin Le Normand (22'), Pedro Porro (26'), Dominic Solanke (76')
GOAL! Atleti 5-2 Spurs: Solanke pulls back another (76')
GOAL! Atleti 5-1 Spurs: Alvarez runs away from everyone and fires home (55')
A clinical counterattack from Atlético Madrid as Julián Álvarez puts the finishing touch on their fifth goal of the night💥 pic.twitter.com/DZMQUO2tLz
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 10, 2026
GOAL! Atleti 4-1 Spurs: Porro starts the comeback, surely (26')
A response from Tottenham as Pedro Porro gets one back 👀 pic.twitter.com/rvu78ZOx86
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 10, 2026
GOAL! Atleti 4-0 Spurs: Le Normand heads it into an open net (22')
From bad to worse for Tottenham as Robin Le Normand adds Atlético Madrid’s fourth of the night inside 22 minutes 😳⚽ pic.twitter.com/GzeViNHTUM
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 10, 2026
SUB! Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky subbed off after two early blunders (17')
Antonín Kinský made his first #UCL appearance for Spurs… Only to be subbed off in the 17th minute after two mistakes and conceding three goals 😳 pic.twitter.com/TNk8ZW1FDM
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 10, 2026
GOAL! Atleti 3-0 Spurs: Alvarez scores after Kinsky forgets how to kick (16')
GOAL! Atleti 2-0 Spurs: Griezmann scores after Van de Ven slips (14')
Two costly errors from Tottenham in back-to-back minutes and Antoine Griezmann and Julián Álvarez make them pay ⚽😬 pic.twitter.com/2v5xAuwEZ7
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 10, 2026
GOAL! Atleti 1-0 Spurs: Llorente scores after Kinsky slips (6')
Marcos Llorente pounces on a disastrous error from Antonín Kinský and punishes Tottenham instantly 😱🎁 pic.twitter.com/1LvW43gPoY
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 10, 2026
Atletico Madrid starting XI
Oblak - Pubill, Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri - Cardoso, Llorente, Simeone, Lookman - Alvarez, Griezmann
Spurs starting XI
Kinsky - Romero, Danso, Van de Ven - Porro, Sarr, Gray, Spence - Kolo Muani, Tel, Richarlison
How to watch Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 4pm ET Tuesday (March 10)
Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano — Madrid, Spain
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Igor Tudor has overseen three-straight league defeats since taking over as Spurs manager as they now sit just one point above the Premier League’s relegation zone with nine games to go. But somehow Spurs have been able to produce some brilliant displays in the Champions League this season and it has been a wonderful distraction for them. The first leg at Atletico will be tough but if they stay in the game for the second leg, who knows?
Atleti are chugging along under Diego Simeone, who has overseen a big squad overhaul in the summer. They sit in third place in La Liga, as usual, and beat Club Brugge in the playoff round to reach the last 16. They also hammered Barcelona recently to reach the Spanish Cup final, which they are favorites to win. But Atletico have been a little inconsistent this season with some really poor defeats thrown in with some brilliant wins against the likes of Barca and Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid team news, focus
Julian Alvaraz remains the main threat in attack for Atletico, while Antoine Griezmann is still around and doing his thing even though a move to Orlando City in Major League Soccer is edging closer. New signing Ademola Lookman has been excellent since his arrival, while Alexander Sorloth is also chipping in with plenty of big goals. Elsewhere, USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso is very useful off the bench, while Jan Oblak remains a huge presence in goal. Atletico’s style of play hasn’t changed that much but when they are in full flow they do look more dangerous and can score plenty of goals. That is the big difference with this Atletico side this season.
Tottenham Hotspur team news, focus
Injuries have hit Spurs hard all season long but they will at least have their first-choice center back partnership for this game. With Cristian Romero just returning from a domestic ban and Micky van de Ven about to serve a domestic ban, they can at last be reunited at center back for this huge game in Europe. Dominic Solanke should lead the line with Xavi Simons likely to be tasked with creating just behind him. Conor Gallagher joined Spurs from Atletico in the winter window and could be a key figure in midfield for this game as his knowledge of how Atleti operate will be invaluable.
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur prediction
Anything other than a heavy defeat is a massive win for Spurs, as they will hope to have some more players back from injury for the second leg. Atletico Madrid 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur.
