MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tottenham will board the flight home to London on Friday evening having lost both of their International Champions Cup matches, following a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
While Spurs were unfortunate not to salvage a draw from Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to Juventus here, they were desperately unlucky not to beat Diego Simeone's side after striking the woodwork twice, and an inspired performance from Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Gabi, Tiago, Saul and Fernando Torres were part of a familiar-looking Atletico lineup, while Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela started for Spurs.
Kevin Wimmer, Tottenham's only senior centre-back on tour, again missed out with a hamstring problem, however. The Austrian -- the only one of Spurs' 11 Euro 2016 representatives to make the trip -- played no part in either match in Melbourne, suggesting it was a mistake to put him through the journey and the jet-lag.
In the early stages it was Atleti, however, who were feeling the effects of the trip. They only arrived here on Wednesday and it showed. The energy of Eriksen and Lamela was too much for their opponents and the Dane summed up the difference in conditioning between the two teams when he ghosted past a flat-footed Sime Vrsaljko on the break after 15 minutes.
Inside the first 20 minutes, Spurs had hit the woodwork twice. Eriksen -- missing from the defeat to Juve with a stomach bug -- tested Oblak with a daisy-cutter before Joshua Onomah crashed a first-time volley against the crossbar after Atleti had failed to clear a corner. Lamela, who might have had a hat trick on Tuesday, then played a quick one-two with Vincent Janssen, held off a defender but struck the foot of the post, with Oblak beaten.
Spurs were controlling possession but, like all top teams, Atleti sensed weakness at the heart of Spurs' defence -- and exploited it. Cameron Carter-Vickers, 18, and Dominic Ball were run ragged by Paulo Dybala and Co. on Tuesday, and United States under-21 international Carter-Vickers and Anton Walkes, 19, were similarly struggling to contain Torres and Hector Hernandez.
As usual, Diego Godin was proving dangerous at set-pieces. The centre-back had already got his head on a corner in the fifth minute and again on the half hour and it was he who broke the deadlock shortly before half-time. Winks fouled Thomas Partey centrally and Spurs failed to deal with Gabi's free kick, Walkes' header only helping the ball towards his own goal, where Godin gratefully prodded past Vorm.
Spurs withdrew Eriksen, Lamela and Victor Wanyama -- all impressive -- at the break but the second half continued in much the same vein and Oblak produced two spectacular saves after good work from Janssen and substitute Ryan Mason. First, the Dutch striker held the ball up for Son Heung-Min to cross for Mason, whose first time shot was brilliantly parried by the Slovenian. Minutes later, the England midfielder won a free kick on the edge of the box and Janssen's low effort forced a brilliant one-handed save from Oblak.
Pochettino continued to ring the changes in the second half but Diego Simeone made just three, and it was a fresh Spurs who continued to control the ball. The lively Son beat Vrsaliko but couldn't find a teammate with his cross. Atleti, however, continued to look dangerous from set-pieces and Stefan Savic got his head to another shortly before full-time.
Pochettino, always a manager to look for the positives, is unlikely to be too downbeat after a spirited display but Spurs return home with two defeats.