AP, London :
A chastening night for Real Madrid coincided with a coming of age moment for Tottenham.
The European champions in three of the last four seasons were not just beaten in north London, but dismantled with ease by a Tottenham lineup lacking that kind of Champions League pedigree.
Such was Tottenham’s superiority, Madrid seemed fortunate to leave Wembley Stadium with only a 3-1 loss on Wednesday.
While Tottenham celebrated qualifying for the knockout phase for only the second time, the Champions League holders were reeling from their first group-stage loss in five years.
Coming directly after its Spanish league defense was hit by a surprise loss at Girona, the psychological impact will be even greater for Zinedine Zidane’s team.
“I am not worried,” the Madrid coach said. “We played against a team who were better than us tonight and we have to accept it.”
Madrid’s fragile defense was beaten too easily by Tottenham, a club that hasn’t won the English league since 1961 but has finished third and second in the Premier League in recent seasons. Dele Alli, suspended for the opening three games in Group H, made an explosive return to the Champions League with two goals.
