"It wasn't even the 5-2 defeat that hurt, not really, and it certainly wasn't their now inevitable exit from Europe: it was how it happened, the opening 20 minutes quite possibly the stupidest, most absurd, most astonishing minutes of football you have ever seen. If, that is, you can really call it football at all; this was a dramatic act of self-destruction."
"There could be no joy, certainly, in watching poor Antonin Kinsky heading down the tunnel, broken and withdrawn on just 16 minutes, inconsolable after glaring errors led to two of the goals that had already given Atletico a 3-0 lead. Micky van de Ven had handed Atletico the other and no sooner had Vicario come on to replace the Czech keeper than he had conceded the fourth."
"A reminder, tinged with regret, that they were good once. They are not now. Tudor had said that Tottenham have problems in defence, midfield and attack, which suggests the abyss is opening up and relegation concerns are legitimate."
Tottenham experienced a devastating 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, with manager Igor Tudor acknowledging survival as their only priority. The defeat was characterized by catastrophic defensive errors in the opening 20 minutes, including goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky's glaring mistakes that led to three goals before being substituted. Replacement keeper Vicario immediately conceded another goal, with Pape Sarr's own-goal header contributing to Atletico's dominance. Despite Pedro Porro's goal and later strikes from Julian Alvarez and Dominic Solanke, Tottenham could not recover. The performance at the Metropolitano stadium, where they previously played in the 2019 Champions League final, highlighted their dramatic decline and suggested deeper systemic problems across defense, midfield, and attack.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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