Simons stars but Spurs crash out of Champions League despite win over Atlético Madrid

There has been the feeling at too many points of this traumatic season for Tottenham that they only play when the result is beyond them. This Champions League last-16 tie looked that way when Atlético Madrid went 4-0 up after 22 minutes of the first leg last Tuesday and nobody gave Spurs a prayer of overturning the final scoreline from the Metropolitano of 5-2.

They played here. It was a strange evening because there were times when the hope did crackle. Spurs had massive chances for a two-goal lead on the night. Mathys Tel at 1-0 towards the end of the first half; Pedro Porro at 2-1 on the hour. There was another in stoppage time for Randal Kolo Muani at 3-2. It was surely too late by then. All of them went begging.

The more realistic target for the beleaguered Igor Tudor and his injury-hit squad was to build on the positive vibes of Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Liverpool. The more important game of the week will be here on Sunday against Nottingham Forest – as crazy as that sounds given Spurs had contested only nine previous Champions League knockout rubbers. Staying in England’s top division is the be-all and end-all.

Spurs could feel their fragile confidence pepped as they won for the first time under Tudor, even if it still added up to an aggregate defeat. Kolo Muani put them in front on the night and there were two goals for Xavi Simons, who was back in the starting XI. The first was a lovely curler from distance for 2-1; the second a late penalty for 3-2.

Atlético, serial participants in the knockout rounds of this competition, were never truly in danger. Julián Alvarez was outstanding, scoring his team’s first equaliser and setting up the second for David Hancko. Spurs, though, could talk up the good bits. There was a front-footed intent about them in Tudor’s back-four system. Archie Gray was a driving force in midfield, ditto Simons, while Tel was quick and direct; the only frustration was his finishing.

Weirdly, given their well-documented difficulties at this venue in the league, Spurs have signed off in Europe with five home wins out of five for the season. They are unbeaten in their past 25 European matches here. The challenge now is to make it happen in the league – beginning against Forest when the dynamics will be different.

Julián Alvarez of Atlético Madrid scored their first goal to make it 1-1 on the night. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

There were a large number of empty seats in the upper reaches of the stadium – the attendance was about 10,000 down on capacity – but the Spurs fans who were there liked what they saw. They applauded their team off at half-time and full time. It was positive. As was Tudor in terms of his set-up. He asked Radu Dragusin to play at right-back with Pedro Porro further forward on the right wing.

Spurs were determined to impose themselves. They had nothing to lose and they played with a liberation. What if they could score the first goal? Atlético almost did at the outset when Ademola Lookman had a goal ruled out for offside. But Spurs struck when Tel floated over a cross from the inside right and Kolo Muani peeled into a pocket of space. When he rose, it was a done deal.

Tel meant business up the left. He had a fistful of attempts on goal in the first half, working Juan Musso – who deputised for the injured Jan Oblak – with one from a tight angle on 25 minutes. The big chance for Tel came in the 35th minute and there were howls when he spurned it. Gray ignited the move and when Simons turned a pass from Kolo Muani through for Tel, he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. The shot was too close to Musso.

Atlético finished the first half with Alvarez sending a deflected shot just over and Guglielmo Vicario throwing up a strong hand to deny Giuliano Simeone from distance; again the shot had deflected.

It was a big save but Atlético found a way through after the restart from a devastating counterattack, Lookman eventually squaring for Alvarez who had held his run. He had all the time and space he needed to lash high into the corner. Tudor wanted a foul by Alvarez on Simons at the start of the move but it was not there.

Spurs did not let their heads drop, Gray a symbol of the belief. He was at the heart of the goal for 2-1, winning the ball, driving upfield and passing to Simons, whose shot was a beauty. Game back on? Spurs thought so and there was a stirring period around the hour mark when they had a flurry of openings, Porro denied by Musso on the clearest one. He had been played in by Simons.

Enter Alvarez. There was the moment when he beat Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence with a flash of twinkle-toed brilliance before being denied by Vicario from a tight angle. He worked the goalkeeper again from distance and, from the resulting corner, which he whipped over, there was Hancko, running away from Pape Sarr at the near post, to head home. Alvarez almost had another after he robbed Spence to run through.

Simons scored from the spot after he was fouled by the Atlético substitute José Maria Giménez and there was still time for Kolo Muani to blow his clear opening. For Spurs, it is all about Forest.