Nightmare continues! Spurs accelerate their freefall with three gifts in the opening minutes.

Written by Han Bing. The team gifted three goals through errors at the start; the 22-year-old goalkeeper Kinski, thrust into action, was substituted after 17 minutes following consecutive own-goal assists—a 2-5 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg dashed Spurs' last hope of the season, as they were already in freefall in the Premier League. Although the two other Premier League teams playing that day also failed to win, Liverpool losing away to Galatasaray and Newcastle United drawing at home with Barcelona at least retained chances of progression. In contrast, Spurs' nightmare-ridden state is far more despairing than the three-goal deficit.

Before the match, Spurs fans held a glimmer of hope: Spurs had conceded only 7 goals in 8 Champions League group stage matches this season, with 6 clean sheets, defensive performance far better than in the Premier League. The result was yet another pure heartbreak for Spurs fans—not due to Atletico's strength, but because Spurs' defense remained paper-thin. Spurs conceded three goals early due to three fatal errors; Kinski set the record for earliest three-goal concession by a goalkeeper in a Champions League knockout match, and also set Atletico's club record for fastest three-goal lead in a Champions League knockout game.

Due to deteriorating relations with Vicario, Tudor unexpectedly started substitute goalkeeper Kinski, and the outcome was disastrous. In the first half, his and his teammates' boots seemed soaked in butter: in the 6th minute, Kinski slipped while passing to the right, the ball going straight to Lukman's feet; after interplay between Alvarez and Llorente, Atletico got a dream start. In the 14th minute, Van der Ven slipped while defending, giving Griezmann a one-on-one goal. A minute later, Kinski's clearance again slipped, the ball going straight to Alvarez resulting in an open goal. Conceding three goals within 15 minutes, Tudor had to substitute the psychologically shattered Kinski two minutes later.

Substituted main goalkeeper Vicario could not turn the tide: in the 22nd minute he made an extreme double save, first parrying defender Sarr's own-goal header, then diving to block Lenormand's header rebound, but the ball had already crossed the line. Spurs, trailing 0-4 by the 22nd minute, were beyond recovery, ultimately losing 2-5. Including the goal nearly conceded due to Sarr's own-goal attempt, Spurs conceded four goals from defensive errors in one match, a record in the Champions League since statistics began in 2003/04.

This is Atletico's biggest victory in 25 Champions League matches and 43 European matches against English teams. The Red-and-White军团 avenged their 1-5 defeat to Spurs in the European Cup Winners' Cup final 63 years ago, which denied them their first European title. Most traveling Spurs fans left before halftime, and after this heavy defeat, Tudor's managerial position seems to need a clear answer.

Tudor, replacing Frank as Spurs manager less than a month ago, suffered four consecutive defeats, with Spurs高层 patience nearly exhausted—next week, they face a triple test against Liverpool, Atletico, and direct relegation rival Nottingham Forest. By then, Champions League elimination will be irrelevant;能否保住 "one of the six founding Premier League clubs never relegated" status is Spurs' biggest task for the remaining season.

In the other two matches that day, Liverpool lost 0-1 away to Galatasaray, and Newcastle United drew 1-1 at home with Barcelona. Also using a substitute goalkeeper, Liverpool侥幸 escaped a heavy defeat in Istanbul thanks to对手's missed chances and Mamadashvili's three saves; Newcastle United painfully lost three points in the final moments due to an unnecessary penalty, particularly regrettable.

Among the three Premier League teams, the only one deserving victory was Newcastle United. Eddie Howe's team played with speed, sufficient进攻 width, aggression, and full effort. Elanga was highly threatening on the right, the defense successfully completely冻结 Yamal, the Barcelona天才 having no successful dribbles in a Champions League match for the first time. Newcastle United dominated home shots (16-9) and shots on target (4-2); Barnes' goal in the 85th minute almost allowed the Magpies to celebrate victory.遗憾, in added time, Gavi tripped Olmo in the box, Yamal's last-minute equalizing penalty destroyed Newcastle's hope of taking all three points.

Regarding Liverpool's 0-1 away loss to Galatasaray, the team most needed to thank substitute goalkeeper Mamadashvili. Liverpool's defensive errors were也不少; in the 7th minute Lemina scored with a header无人盯防,下半场 Konate's disastrous error nearly cost Liverpool a second goal. Liverpool did not lack scoring chances, but Konate, Ekiteke, and Wirtz wasted opportunities. Mamadashvili先后 saved Sanchez and Osimhen's shots that could have widened the score, allowing Liverpool to keep hope of a comeback in the second leg with a minimal defeat.

This match was Slot's 100th as Liverpool manager; the Dutch coach, with 62 wins, tied with Daglish as the club's coach with the most wins in the first 100 matches. But Liverpool's state remains worrying, with chaotic match节奏 and defensive漏洞百出. After defeating Liverpool, Galatasaray manager Okan谢场 with Klopp's signature "farmer three punches," highlighting Liverpool's尴尬. This season in the Champions League group stage Liverpool already lost 0-1 away to the same opponent; their second visit showed no improvement.

This season Liverpool have lost 12 matches after conceding first, the most since 2015/16, their tradition of reversing劣势已然不再.同时, in 44 matches this season 13 defeats, Slot's second season has seen 30% losses, the loss rate also the highest since 2014/15. The Daily Mail lamented: luck will not always accompany Liverpool; a team so unstable即便 can turn around at home, its future is不敢乐观.

In the Champions League quarter-final first leg, the three Premier League giants率先出场 all failed to win, somewhat surprising. Can the出场 of stronger, better-performing Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea挽回颜面 for the top league?