Champs League: Tottenham, Real Madrid have upper hand

By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun

ANKARA (AA) - Tottenham Hotspurs and Real Madrid got the upper hand in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg matches on Wednesday evening.

In London's Wembley Stadium, Tottenham secured a confidence-boosting 3-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, thanks to late goals scored by Jan Verthongen and Fernando Llorente.

The English club managed to break the deadlock with South Korean sensation Heung-Min Son in the 47th minute. Jan Verthongen, who assisted Son in the first goal, scored one of his own in the 83rd minute to give the Spurs a 2-0 lead.

Fernando Llorente scored the curtain-closer in the 86th minute, giving Tottenham fans hope of reaching the quarterfinals, which if it happens, will be the first time since the 2010-11 season.

Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was also instrumental in the first-leg victory, as he stymied Christian Pulisic and Dan-Axel Zagadou in the first half of the match to keep his team level.

The second-leg match will be played on Tuesday, March 5 at Dortmund's home.

- Reigning champs have advantage in Netherlands

Real Madrid got the job done in Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff Arena with a 2-1 win over Ajax in the first-leg match.

The first half ended goalless -- VAR instant-reply analysis was used to disallow a goal score by Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico -- but striker Karim Benzema broke the deadlock after an assist by Vinicius Jr.

Hakim Ziyech equalized the match at 1-1 with a goal in the 75th minute, but Marco Asensio's 87th minute tap-in crossed by Dani Carvajal gave the reigning Champions League winners the advantage going into home.

The match also had a special significance for defender Sergio Ramos, as it marked the 600th time he donned the Madrid jersey.

The second-leg match will be played on Tuesday, March 5 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.