Tottenham’s season has gone from bad to a whole lot worse as Spurs let in four goals in the first 22 minutes of their 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash.
Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was subbed off after only 17 minutes as the Czech let in two howlers among early onslaught in the Spanish capital.
In just his fourth game in charge, Spurs interim manager Igor Tudor made the big call to bench Guglielmo Vicario for Kinsky, who made his Champions League debut.
The move backfired spectacularly with Kinsky slipping as he tried to clear the ball down field to hand Marcos Llorente the opener for Atletico in just the sixth minute.
Antoine Griezmann doubled the hosts’ advantage eight minutes later after Spurs defender Micky van de Ven slipped at the wrong moment.
Two minutes later, another botched attempted clearance by Kinsky gifted Julian Alvaraz Atletico’s third.
The 22-year-old was then mockingly applauded by the home fans, and given the cold shoulder by Tudor, as he headed down the tunnel in tears.
Kinsky is the first player to be subbed off inside the opening 20 minutes of a Champions League not because of injury.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said on TNT Sports’ coverage that he was “heartbroken” for Kinsky.
“This Tottenham team is all over the place at the moment,” he added.
Vicario’s introduction did not stop the carnage as Robin Le Normand punched on a rebound from the Italian’s gloves to score Atletico’s fourth.
Against the run of play, Pedro Porro managed to find the back of the net for Spurs, making it five goals scored inside the first half hour.
To add to the drama, van de Ven also could have been given his marching orders for a challenge on Dávid Hancko just outside the box.
VAR waved it off despite the protests from the Atletico bench with manager Diego Simone fuming over the non-decision.
Alvarez bagged his second after half time, making the most of a brilliant assist from Griezmann on the counter attack.
Dominic Solanke later pegged another back for Spurs, scoring the visitors’ second goal of the night in the 76th minute.
Tottenham cop 4 inside 22 minutes! | 01:34
REDS ON BRINK AS 53-YEAR STREAK ROCKS GIANT
Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat against Galatasaray in the Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday as Mario Lemina’s goal left the Reds in danger of a shock exit.
Arne Slot’s side paid the price for a disjointed display in Istanbul, with Lemina netting in the first half at raucous RAMS Park.
The six-time European champions hope to salvage a turbulent campaign by winning the Champions League for the first time since 2019.
But Liverpool, languishing in sixth place in the Premier League less than a year after winning the title, will need a second leg escape act at Anfield on March 18 to avoid arguably the lowest moment in their miserable season.
Slot won’t look back fondly on his 100th game in charge of Liverpool, who defended poorly and lacked cohesion in attack.
Mohamed Salah made his 81st Champions League appearance for Liverpool, surpassing Jamie Carragher for the most games in the competition by a Reds player.
But, not for the first time this season, it was a night to forget for the Egypt forward, who was hauled off in the 60th minute after an anonymous performance.
The Reds were beaten 1-0 by Galatasaray in the group stage in September and once again they wilted in the hostile atmosphere generated by Galatasaray’s frenzied fans.
The Turkish club’s intimidating fans famously greeted Manchester United with a ‘welcome to hell’ banner at the Istanbul airport prior to a 1993 European Cup clash.
They set the tone for another febrile environment by reprising that message on a banner before kick-off.
In their first Champions League last-16 tie since 2014, Galatasaray extended their unbeaten run in home knockout matches in the competition to 11 matches since 1973.
– Vulnerable Liverpool –
Florian Wirtz made his first Liverpool start since February 14 after a back injury.
But Wirtz wasted a chance to mark his return with a goal inside three minutes when he intercepted a wayward pass by Galatasaray keeper Ugurcan Cakir, only to drag his shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area.
Instead, it was Galatasaray who took the lead in the seventh minute as Liverpool’s set-piece woes proved costly once again.
Vulnerable to conceding from corners all season, Liverpool were ruthlessly exposed as Victor Osimhen climbed above Joe Gomez to flick on and former Wolves midfielder Lemina punished sloppy marking from Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez with a diving header from close-range.
Shell-shocked Liverpool were ragged at the back and Osimhen was left unmarked to head wide from 10 yards.
Slot’s men briefly sparked into life when a flowing move featuring deft passes from Ekitike and Alexis Mac Allister carved open the Galatasaray defence, but Wirtz fired straight at Cakir.
Deputised for Alisson Becker, who suffered an injury in training this week, Liverpool keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili had to scramble across to save Noa Lang’s curler.
Mamardashvili made another fine save to repel Davinson Sanchez’s header after the defender towered over Virgil van Dijk.
Desperately lacking rhythm and momentum, Liverpool were lucky not to be breached again when Ibrahima Konate’s sloppy mistake handed Osimhen a chance that the Nigerian blazed over.
Liverpool stunned by Galatasaray! | 01:35
Dominik Szoboszlai tried to lift Liverpool out of their lethargy with a blast that tested Cakir from distance immediately after half-time.
Mac Allister was guilty of a poor miss moments later, shooting wide from just inside the area.
Liverpool escaped after more shambolic defending allowed Osimhen to tap in, with Baris Alper Yilmaz ruled offside build-up even though he wasn’t interfering with play.
Ekitike squandered a golden opportunity when Cakir raced off his line to block the striker’s shot.
Even when Liverpool finally got the ball in the Galatasaray net, they were denied as VAR ruled Konate used his arm to guide Szoboszlai’s 70th minute corner past Cakir.
Encapsulating Liverpool’s night to forget, Cody Gakpo fired inches wide in the final moments.
SHOCK TURNS SOUR IN 95-MIN PENALTY DRAMA
Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of the game rescued Barcelona from defeat at Newcastle in a 1-1 Champions League last 16, first leg draw on Tuesday.
The Magpies were headed for a night to savour at St. James’ Park when Harvey Barnes opened the scoring on 86 minutes.
Yamal had been a peripheral figure but showed the composure of one of the world’s best players from the spot after Dani Olmo was tripped by Malick Thiaw deep into stoppage time.
The Liga champions still have work to do when the sides meet again on March 18, but will leave Tyneside relieved after a sub-par performance from Hansi Flick’s side.
Newcastle’s bid to make the quarter-finals for the first time was dealt a blow before kick-off when Anthony Gordon was forced to start on the bench due to illness.
Only Kylian Mbappe has scored more than Gordon’s 10 Champions League goals this season and the England international’s threat was badly missed as Newcastle a[pplied early pressure.
Eddie Howe had billed this game as the biggest in the club’s history and the desire to make amends for a FA Cup exit to Manchester City and a dissapointing Premier League season showed.
Howe made a bold choice with Gordon’s replacement as William Osula came in at the expense of club record signing Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa up front.
Osula’s pace troubled Barca’s high defensive line early on, but Newcastle’s best attempt to break the deadlock before half-time came from a corner.
Joan Garcia spilled his attempt to save Sandro Tonali’s header and needed to be rescued by a goal-line clearance from Pau Cubarsi.
The home side continued to press for a breakthrough in the second period. Anthony Elanga should have picked out Barnes for a simple finish when his low cross was cut out by Garcia.
It took nearly 70 minutes for the visitors to create a clear sight of goal when Robert Lewandowski prodded wide from Raphinha’s cross.
That was Lewandowski’s final act as he was replaced by Marcus Rashford, who scored twice when the sides met at St. James’ Park in the League Phase.
Howe also turned to his bench in search of a winner with Gordon among those introduced.
The offside flag came to Barca’s aid when Joelinton thought he had opened the scoring after Barnes struck the post.
The visitors’ desire just to see the game out at 0-0 was evidenced when Ronald Araujo tried to hold up play by rolling back on the field after going down injured.
Italian referee Marco Guida refused to let the Uruguayan defender immediately back onto the field and Newcastle took full advantage as Barnes was unmarked at the back post, where Araujo should have been, to convert Jacob Murphy’s cross.
Much of Newcastle’s fine work was undone by one mistake as Thiaw flicked out a leg to bring down the jinking Olmo inside the box.
Yamal coolly sent Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way to leave Newcastle needing heroics in the Camp Nou next week to reach the last eight.
Bayern on verge of Champions League quarters after smashing six past Atalanta
Bayern Munich put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday by sweeping aside Atalanta 6-1 in a powerful demonstration of why the German giants are one of the favourites to win the competition.
In front in the 12th minute in Bergamo of the first leg through Josip Stanisic, Bayern are all-but through following a stunning brace from standout player Michael Olise and further strikes from Serge Gnabry, Nicolas Jackson and Jamal Musiala.
Bayern have lost just once at home this season and the marauding display, which came with Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala both starting the game on the bench, left Atalanta with basically no chance of progressing.
A blockbuster tie against one of Real Madrid or Manchester City awaits Bayern in the next round, save for a historic collapse in next week’s second leg in Munich.
For Atalanta it will be a comeback too far after the thrilling way they got past Borussia Dortmund and into the last 16, and their near-certain elimination will end Italy’s participation in the Champions League for this season.
Being knocked out by European royalty is no disgrace for a traditionally tiny club punching way above its weight at home and abroad the last decade.
But it was a chastening night for both Raffaele Palladino’s players, who were applauded off by their vociferous support both at half-time and the final whistle, and Italian football.
– No mercy –
Even without Kane and Musiala on the pitch Bayern came straight for Atalanta, pressing relentlessly, and Olise twice tested the hosts’ goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi in the first five minutes.
It was Luis Diaz’s effort, deflected out for a corner, which led to Stanisic taking advantage of poor defending at the subsequent set piece.
Atalanta were asleep as Olise rolled his corner to Gnabry who, completely unmarked in the penalty area, pushed the ball on to Stanisic to net from close range.
Olise left Atalanta with a mountain to climb in the 22nd minute when he drifted in from the right flank and beautifully curled in his second Champions League goal of the season.
The France forward was again key for Bayern’s third three minutes later, his beautiful first touch leading to a Gnabry flying through on goal and effectively ending the tie as a contest.
Gnabry also had time to clip the crossbar as Bayern ran riot, and coach Vincent Kompany showed no mercy by bringing on Musiala and Alphonso Davies at the break.
Jackson drilled in the fourth in the 52nd minute and from there the night began to take an embarrassing turn for Atalanta whose fans could do nothing but clap when Olise leathered in the goal of the night in the 64th minute.
Jackson set up Musiala to guide home Bayern’s sixth three minutes later, and by the time Pasalic netted Atalanta’s consolation goal in stoppage time the away side could have had double figures.
But the small pocket of Bayern fans in the corner of the New Balance Arena weren’t complaining as their team rolled on towards a showdown with City or Madrid.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS ON TUESDAY: LAST 16, FIRST LEG
In Istanbul, Galatasaray (TUR) 1 (Lemina 7) Liverpool (ENG) 0
In Bergamo, Italy Atalanta (ITA) 1 (Pasalic 90+3) Bayern Munich (GER) 6 (Stanisic 12, Olise 22, 64, Gnabry 25, Jackson 52, Musiala 67)
In Newcastle, England Newcastle (ENG) 1 (Barnes 86) Barcelona (ESP) 1 (Yamal 90+6-pen)
In Madrid Atletico Madrid 5 (Llorente 6, Griezmann 14, Alvarez 15, 55, Le Normand 22) Tottenham (ENG) 2 (Porros 26, Solanke 76)
Playing Wednesday
In Leverkusen, Germany Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Arsenal (ENG ) (1745)
In Bodo, Norway Bodo/Glimt (NOR) v Sporting (POR)
In Paris Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Chelsea (ENG)
In Madrid Real Madrid (ESP) v Manchester City (ENG)