The kind of night that saves a season? That might be pushing it. A comeback for the ages was on, then off, then on again for a little while: a flickering traffic light that, like Tottenham’s season to date, stopped ultimately on red. But they will hoover up any morsels of hope at this point and at least, when a considerably sub‑capacity crowd applauded them off at the end, the appreciation was deservedly heartfelt. If the adage goes that a win can work wonders, perhaps Igor Tudor will be able to cajole a brand of magic now that he has finally achieved one.
Most of the inspiration here, on a night when nobody let a customarily depleted Spurs down, came from the sparkly feet of Xavi Simons. His year in north London has taken on the same stuttering pattern, weeks of liftoff and others of inconsequence. He had started Tudor’s first two games, a reward of sorts for the dynamic form that could not ultimately save Thomas Frank, but his new manager’s affections had quickly waned. Recalled to chase an essentially lost cause, Simons’ task was to display the ingenuity and drive that might propel Spurs out of peril in the longer term.
It will not have been lost on Tudor that, with Atlético Madrid three goals clear once more and the match nearing stoppage time, Simons was the player dancing into the heart of opposition territory and drawing a clumsy foul from José María Giménez. Nor will his eagerness to stand up and convert the penalty, his second goal of the match, go unnoticed. Easier to do, perhaps, when the stakes have been dramatically lowered; a kinder reading would be that, on a night that could have passed with scant interest, a marauding Simons cranked up the tempo and was relentless throughout.
Tottenham had begun the evening fuelled by their nutritious late point at Anfield. At the start of that game, Tudor had seemingly mistaken a Liverpool staff member for Arne Slot in his attempts to instigate pleasantries. This time there were no errors as he made an immediate beeline for Diego Simeone; the brooding Atlético manager is, in fairness, not easily misidentified and his team tend to bear familiar hallmarks, too.
Once a stodgy first half-hour had passed, though, Atlético’s time‑honoured ruggedness and expertise at smothering space vanished. It became easier to understand why they conceded three times at home against Club Brugge in the playoff round, were outgunned at home against Bodø/Glimt, shipped four in the second half at Arsenal and almost saw a 4-0 lead overturned by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. From the moment Randal Kolo Muani had punished defensive inattention to head in a cross from the largely effective Mathys Tel, the away side wobbled and Tottenham attacked with rare incision.
The platform for that was laid by Archie Gray, an outstanding performer who dominated the midfield for considerable stretches. It was a burst from Gray, who turned 20 last week and keeps getting better, that let Simons spray a perfect first-time pass to his left for an unattended Tel. The stand‑in Atlético keeper, Juan Musso, was allowed to save and it proved a pivotal moment in the game; had they gone two up at that point, Spurs could legitimately have dreamed of defying the odds.
Simons’ verve kept those fantasies alive. How to respond when Julián Alvarez seemingly kills the tie? Curl the best goal of your Tottenham career past Musso from 25 yards, after yet more fine work from Gray, within five minutes. When Simons played Pedro Porro through beautifully for a shot that, taken with the outside of the foot, drew another smart stop from Musso it was the second time he had wrought a chance to take things to the wire.
In the end Spurs fell short of that and, not for the first time, could curse inattention to the basics when David Hancko headed in at the near post. Simons’ subsequent spot‑kick caused minimal jitters in an Atlético technical area where Simeone, for the game’s middle third, had been highly exercised. But Spurs will need the simple, yet ineffable, trait he showed here: an eagerness to take things to the bitter end when all is lost.
Those flashes of genius will come in handy, too. Nottingham Forest should prove tougher opponents on Sunday than an Atlético side that, facing its own crunch weekend with a Madrid derby, dialled their own enthusiasm levels up and down. When the relegation rivals kick off at lunchtime, this consolation prize of second-leg pride may smack of luxurious escapism. Simons, though, may have shown Tudor that he is ready to get serious.
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