Tottenham Hotspur prevailed in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid, taking down the Spanish giants 3-2 in their most impressive and comprehensive team display of the Igor Tudor era. Young stars Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, and Mathys Tel all clicked, finally playing at an elite level together.
But while the win was a cause for celebration for Spurs fans despite the ultimate result of an expected Champions League elimination, the feeling is ultimately bittersweet. Because as Tottenham supporters think about it for a second, based on how they played across both legs, they really should have won the tie.
It begins to set in, then, that the only real reason why Spurs ultiamtely did not prevail over Atletico Madrid was the slips and mistakes by young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Of course, no rational Spurs fan holds ill will or truly blames Kinsky for the mistakes. He was thrown into the fire in a huge game under immense pressure by Igor Tudor, and he unfortunately slipped on an Atleti pitch that has cost so many victims across the 2025/26 La Liga, Champions League, and even Copa del Rey seaons, including blowing out Barcelona behind the dark arts of Diego Simeone's slick pitch.
Tottenham were better than Atletico Madrid
All the same, it does not make the realization any less crueler. Had Kinsky not made those errors and played as well as Guglielmo Vicario did between the sticks in the second leg of the Champions League tite, Tottenham Hotspur almost certainly would have made it through to the next round, as they were outplaying Atletico Madrid in open play.
None of that is a reason to ruminate and lash out at Antonin Kinsky for these unfortunate errors, and, if anything, the bitterness of the truth should ultimately be empowering for Tottenham - a positive message to keep in their hearts.
Because if it were not for those fluke mistakes by the young keeper making his first start in ages, Tottenham would have won precisely since they were the better team than Atleti. Yes, the Premier League side buried in a relegation battle were better than the consensus No. 3 team in Spanish football.
If that fact does not give Tottenham the confidence they need to blow out Nottingham Forest in an even more crucial weekend fixture in the Premier League, which is a true relegation six pointer, then it's hard to think of what else will.