‘My heart is absolutely broken for him’ – Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky hauled off after horror 17 minutes
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky walks off after being substitutedTottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was substituted after 17 minutes following a nightmare performance in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid.Spurs interim head coach Igor Tudor made the bold call to hand Kinsky, 22, his first start since October for their last-16 first leg at Riyadh Air Metropolitano.Kinsky’s opportunity to impress turned into a horror show after he slipped to allow Marcos Llorente to score after six minutes before he conceded again in the 14th minute, but worse followed 92 seconds later when his scuffed kick allowed Julian Alvarez to walk the ball into the empty net.Tottenham captain Cristian Romero walked over to Tudor before Atletico could kick-off again and Kinsky’s number was held up for the fourth official moments later with usual first-choice Guglielmo Vicario introduced.Romero and Kevin Danso hugged Kinsky as he left the pitch and the Czech goalkeeper walked straight down the tunnel.Spurs substitutes Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher and Dominic Solanke raced after Kinsky along with staff member Dean Brill following a chastening night in Madrid for the young goalkeeper in only his 13th appearance for the Premier League club.Commentating for the BBC, former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson described Tudor’s decision to substitute Kinsky as “confidence destroying” and added: “I have never seen that on a football pitch.”Speaking on TNT Sports, former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said: “My heart is absolutely broken for him (Kinsky).“He had a horrible 14 minutes, that slip and the third goal. I don’t know what to say. I am just heartbroken for the lad. This Tottenham team is all over the place.”Former Manchester United keeper David De Gea, now in Serie A with Fiorentina, offered his support for the young Spurs keeper.De Gea wrote on his X account: “No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will go again.”
