Tottenham player ratings v Atlético Madrid: near-perfect Simons shines in European exit
Tottenham player ratings v Atlético Madrid: near-perfect Simons shines in European exit Xavi Simons had quite the stellar evening on Wednesday, despite Tottenham Hotspur failing to complete the second leg comeback against Atlético Madrid as they won 3-2 on the night and exited the Champions League 7-5 on aggregate. Spurs took the lead into half-time after Randal Kolo Muani’s headed effort, and were left needing just two goals to force extra time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Julian Alvarez restored parity just after the break, with Xavi Simons scoring either side of David Hancko’s header – but it wasn’t enough to progress into the last eight of the competition.
FromTheSpot’s Oliver Powell analyses the Spurs players’ performances and gives his verdict on a mixed night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that suggested Igor Tudor is slowly making progress in his bid to defeat the Premier League drop. Starting XI Guglielmo Vicario – 8/10 Very impressive display from Vicario following the recent criticism. Highlight was a stunning save in the first half following a Romero deflected header.
Micky van de Ven – 7/10 A lot more like the Van de Ven fans had become used to. An air-kick trying to clear the ball for the first goal was a blemish but some strong flying challenges felt a statement from the under-fire defender. Cristian Romero – 7.
5/10 Like his Dutch partner he made some full-blooded tackles and played some superb diagonal passes, but crossed the line one too many times with fouls before being substituted. Radu Dragusin – 6. 5/10 Hard to fault any of Dragusin’s defending on the night.
The designated long-throw specialist was removed after 66 minutes for the more attacking Destiny Udogie. Djed Spence – 7. 5/10 Showed the commitment and desire that had been missing for Spurs as of late.