Yes, Tottenham Hotspur are knocked out of the Champions League, but that was already a foregone conclusion entering a second leg against a quality Atletico Madrid side with a 5-2 deficit. But for the first time in ages, Spurs looked like they were capable of building towards something real, giving the beleagured home fans something to cheer about with a 3-2 victory.
And it was young Mathys Tel who crucially opened things up. After nearly scoring, Tel broke the dead lock with an expertly weighted cross to an open Randal Kolo Muani, who fully obliged with another headed goal to the good.
Tel's cross for an assist had been a long, long time coming. Almost inexplicably, Tel has not assisted in the Premier League yet this season, though the explanation is truly two fold. The first is that he has been snubbed out of so many minutes by Thomas Frank. But the second is that his great crosses all season long have been snubbed by a host of disappointing strikers in front of goal.
Mathys Tel deserved his assist vs. Atletico Madrid
After Richarlison squandered multiple great crosses from Tel over the weekend against Liverpool before finally depositing a Randal Kolo Muani assist, the French countryman himself would not waste this golden opportunity from Tel's electric right boot.
Tel's assist was truly a long time coming. Tottenham Hotspur fans had been earmarking either this game or the weekend fixture vs. Nottingham Forest, which is actually even more important to Spurs than this Champions League knockout tie, as the time for Tel to register a goal or an assist.
Now, Tel could still yet get his goal against Nuno Espirito Santo's spirited bunch over the weekend, but he already has an impressive assist. And Tel was quality all night long against the vaunted Atletico Madrid defense, tearing them to bits with four dribbles completed as one of the three best players on the pitch - and that is finally a high compliment for a Spurs player, given how brilliant Xavi Simons and Archie Gray were, too.
Spurs supporters had been banging the drum for Tel for months as a future superstar, and even when Tottenham have been putrid, he and fellow young gun Gray have been fantastic. Tel finally got the bit of fortune he needed, though, in truth, his cross to Kolo Muani was a case of him making his own luck; there was no way Kolo Muani could have ever missed that sitter.