Madrid has a corner but is soon back in trouble, Hakimi gives it away and Eriksen has a slash at goal.
Good pressure from Madrid, Marcelo is allowed to get to the byline unimpeded down the left, he crosses. Crowd scene in the area, and who should it drop to but Ronaldo, who takes his fury out on the ball with a vicious shot. Think it might have got a deflection of Eric Dier. Tottenham3 vs Madrid (Ronaldo 80)
Spurs, with striker Harry Kane, fit again after a hamstring injury, showed intensity and quality to make their mark on the Champions League after going out at the group stage last season.
Dele Alli gave Spurs the lead after 27 minutes when he turned in Kieran Trippier's cross from close range, then doubled the advantage early in the second half with a shot that took a deflection off Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.
Christian Eriksen provided a cool finish from Kane's pass for the third and even though Cristiano Ronaldo pulled one back for Real with 10 minutes left, it was too little, too late, as Spurs made a powerful statement about their European aspirations.
Ronaldo, with a clear "if you want a job doing, do it yourself" about him, makes a powerful role and curls a decent shot with his left foot. Lloris is equal to it.
A brace from Dele Alli, in his first Champions League appearance of the season after suspension, and a third from Christian Eriksen were enough to make sure a late goal from Cristiano Ronaldo did little to inspire a comeback and mark a memorable night for Spurs.
It was a fantastic performance from us. We knew if we stuck to the game plan and stayed solid at the back, we would have a lot of chances. We spoke after the game at their place and couldn’t believe the space we had. The easy pass was sometimes too obvious at times. We don’t want to compete with these teams, we want to be winning.”
Madrid often had more of the ball and Ronaldo, being Ronaldo, was a difficult and elusive opponent, shimmering with menace. Yet Tottenham gave everything to show they could excel at this level. They were quick to the ball, strong in the tackle and utterly fearless. The night was a personal ordeal for Casemiro, usually one of the more distinguished midfielders in the business, and Spurs also had the little moments of luck that are sometimes needed on the big nights. In particular, Alli’s second goal took a handy deflection off Ramos before flying in from 20 yards.
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