Spurs summon up gutsy display against Atleti to restore hope in the Igor Tudor rescue mission

Anthem time: Picture by @YTJourno

Champions League Rd16 2nd leg

Tottenham Hotspur (1) 3 Kolo Muani 30, Simons 52, pen 90

Atletico Madrid (0) 2 Alvarez 47, Hancko 75

Aggregate: 5-7

Spurs bowed out the Champions League after a night in which they restored some much-needed pride and even gave themselves glimmers of hope of pulling off a miraculous recovery from their first leg mauling.

Those ghastly errors in the Metropolitano last week left them with too much repairing to do in the end, but they put in a stirring shift - leading three times to ensure it would not be a cakewalk for the Spaniards.

It also meant they made the most of the building block of a draw at Liverpool a few days ago.

The honourable failure may just prove to be the catalyst they need to go on and get the three points they will seek on Sunday when Nottingham Forest visit for that vital relegation battle. If they can reproduce the spirit shown in their European campaign, they should do it and end the wretched 11-game run without a win in the league in 2026.

Spurs needed to invoke the spirit of 1963 to conjure up that unlikely turnaround. When the sides first met then, the Lilywhites crushed Atleti 5-1 in the Cup Winners Cup final - Jimmy Greaves, Terry Dyson and John White on target in Rotterdam on a night when the north Londoners became the first English club to win a European trophy.

Failing that - whisper it quietly - they could have done worse than invoke the spirit of bitter foes Arsenal, who crushed Diego Simeone's team 4-0 at the Emirates in the league stage earlier this season.

It was going to need something extra special like that to overturn the first leg disaster when the Spurs rearguard imploded with a ridiculous glut of mistakes.

The need to avoid any early mishaps was as important as asking questions at the top end of the pitch, so they were grateful Ademola Lookman was flagged offside when he converted a cross with the game still in its infancy.

The players at least looked in the mood to give it a go. Mathys Tel twice tested out keeper Juan Musson and was eager to take players on - especially the right back Nahuel Molina, who had a torrid time trying to subdue him.

What it all needed was a Spurs goal and it came on the half hour when Tel flighted a beautiful cross in from the right and an unmarked Randal Kolo Muani headed down past a static Musso.

The belief rose another notch when Archie Gray burst through the centre and a lovely first-time lay-off from Xavi Simons gave Tel another chance - the Atleti keeper getting a leg in the way for a vital block. Tel then almost profited from a nod down by Simons - Musso again getting down well to save.

Guglielmo Vicario needed to be alert too and soon after Julien Alvarez had flashed a shot onto the roof of the net, Giuliano Simeone - son of the boss - hit a shot from distance that brushed off the head of Cristian Romero, forcing the Spurs stopper to stumble into a saving position.

So much hope had already been invested as the second half got under way but it was then quickly dampened. Spurs perhaps over-committed in attack and a simple breakout led to Lookman squaring for Alvarez to put away with ruthless efficiency.

Spurs were not quite done, though and Gray battled to win the ball in midfield before feeding Simons for a glorious curling shot into the far bottom corner to lift spirits once more.

The mood change needed to be exploited to the max and Pedro Porro clipped a shot with the outside of the boot while Radu Dragusin had a header at goal - both times the Atleti keeper came to the rescue.

The goal did not come and that hope that had risen was effectively snuffed out 15 minutes from time with another goal that asked questions of the Spurs defence. Alvarez swung a low corner to the near post and David Hancko glanced a header in from a yard. It was a very soft goal to concede.

But at least Spurs and man of the match Simons had the last word, rolling in an injury time penalty that he himself won by inviting a foul just inside the area.

Academic the final score may have been but a win on the night will surely make Spurs and their fans believe Igor Tudor might just be the man to save them after all.

Spurs: (5-4-1) Vicario - Pedro Porro (Bergvall 74), Romero (Danso 81), Dragusin (Udogie 66), van de Ven, Spence - Simons, Sarr, Gray (Gallagher 81), Tel (Olusesi 81) - Kolo Muani

Atleti: (4-4-2) Musso - Molina (Koke 63), Le Normand, Hancko, Ruggeri - Simeone (Gimenez 87), Llorente, Cardoso, Lookman (Sorloth 63) - Alvarez (Gonzalez 84), Griezmann (Baena 84)

Attendance: 49,568