Antoine Griezmann admits 'slippery pitch' caused Tottenham 'mistakes' in Champions League mauling & warns Atletico Madrid not to repeat Barcelona collapse

The slick surface proved catastrophic for Tottenham's goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, whose two fatal errors on the unfamiliar turf gifted Atletico their first and third goals. Spurs found themselves 3-0 down within 15 minutes before eventually falling to a 5-2 loss. Griezmann capitalized on the chaos with a goal and an assist, ensuring the Premier League giants face a mountain to climb in the return leg.

He acknowledged that the challenging terrain played a crucial role in punishing those early Spurs blunders. “We took advantage of some of their mistakes, either technical or because of the pitch, which is very slippery and we are used to it,” Griezmann explained to Movistar, as per Diario AS, after the match.

While the Metropolitano was in a celebratory mood, Griezmann issued a stern warning regarding the return leg in London. He urged the squad not to repeat the mistakes that led to a near-collapse against Barcelona in their Copa del Rey semi-finals. Despite taking a commanding 4-0 lead in the first leg against the Catalan giants, Diego Simeone's men suffered a massive fright after a 3-0 defeat in the return fixture. They ultimately scraped through the tie with a narrow 4-3 aggregate victory, but the nervy experience clearly left a lasting impression on the veteran forward.

“We played a great game and it's a shame about the two goals conceded. We have to look at it so as not to repeat what we did in Barcelona, because we have a good advantage,” Griezmann added. 

Beyond the European heroics, Griezmann finally addressed the mounting speculation regarding a potential move to MLS. Despite intense interest from Orlando City, the 34-year-old confirmed he has no intention of leaving the Spanish capital before the current campaign reaches its conclusion. He emphasized his happiness at the club, stating, “I’m really good here, enjoying myself a lot. What I do on the pitch speaks for me by itself. We’ll see but the idea is to stay until the end, and then others can speak.”

A major factor in Griezmann’s commitment to Atletico is the lure of trophy success before the season concludes. The forward has his sights firmly set on the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad in April, as he bids to lift a trophy that has so far eluded him across his two stints in the red and white stripes of Atletico. When questioned if winning the cup was a primary motivation to stay, he added: “That’s my dream and my objective, to hopefully we can achieve something big.”