Spurs stun holder Real, into last-16

LONDON (Reuters) – Dele Alli condemned reigning Champions League champion Real Madrid to a horrendous Wembley debut with two goals as Tottenham Hotspur reached the last-16 with a stunning 3-1 victory on Wednesday night.

The 21-year-old England midfielder, making his first appearance in this year’s competition after serving a three-game ban, scored either side of halftime on a memorable night for Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

Christian Eriksen was also on target for Tottenham as it proved far superior to end Madrid’s 30-match unbeaten run in Champions League group play.

Cristiano Ronaldo replied for Zinedine Zidane’s side, but it was in vain as Tottenham sealed a first win in six attempts against the Spanish champion, which will face more criticism after falling eight points behind Barcelona in La Liga.

Tottenham leads Group H with 10 points with Real on seven, followed by Borussia Dortmund and Apoel Nicosia who have two each after a draw in Germany.

“We are starting to believe in our potential and quality,” said Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose side failed to negotiate the group phase last year.

“This win makes us more visible and is something that everyone around Europe will have noticed.”

Twelve-time champ Real should still qualify, but Zidane admitted his side was in a rut after the weekend’s defeat at Girona and now a chastening night at Wembley.

“It’s a hard defeat to take but it was against a team who played very well and deserved to win,” he said. “We were not able to come up with a response and we are not happy about it.”

In other action, Liverpool was rewarded for its patience as it eventually overcame some resilient defending from Slovenia’s Maribor to win 3-0 at Anfield in their Group E clash.

The result leaves Juergen Klopp’s side top of the group on eight points – one ahead of Sevilla and three clear of Spartak Moscow – and a win in Seville in the next game will secure the Reds’ place in the last 16.

Maribor had learned their lesson after suffering an embarrassing 7-0 home defeat in Slovenia and defended in numbers.

Yet second-half goals from Mohamed Salah, Emre Can and substitute Daniel Sturridge wrapped up the win and ensured Liverpool did not pay a heavy price for James Milner’s failure to score from the penalty spot.