Antonin Kinsky subbed after 17 minutes: Why Tottenham goalkeeper was hauled off amid Atletico Madrid horror-show
Tottenham Hotspur’s season lurched to a horrible new low as Atletico Madrid raced into a 4-0 lead midway through the first half of their Champions League last-16 encounter at the Metropolitano.
Spurs came into the match sitting one point above the Premier League relegation zone but having cruised through the league phase of Europe’s top competition.
Those encouraging continental results came under Thomas Frank, who has since been sacked, and interim boss Igor Tudor has endured a shocking start to life in north London.
Three damaging London derby defeats were hardly ideal preparation and Atletico feasted on bedraggled opponents, with Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Robin Le Normand all on target.
It meant that by the time Pedro Porro pulled a goal back for Tottenham, they were arguably already out of the two-legged tie.
No one in the visiting side had a worse night than goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was thrust into the starting line-up by Tudor, only for dire consequences to follow.
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What happened to Kinsky in Atletico Madrid vs. Tottenham
Kinsky started the match ahead of regular goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, yet he lasted just 17 minutes before being substituted.
6 mins: Kinsky received a short goal kick from Cristian Romero, only to slip and skew the clearance to Ademola Lookman on the edge of the penalty area. He found Alvarez, who laid off to Llorente to find the finish.
14 mins: There was no blame to apportion to Kinsky this time as Micky van de Ven lost his footing to let Griezmann in to score. Players were clearly having problems with the Metropolitano surface.
15 mins: Kinsky’s night fell in completely as he miskicked a backpass against his standing foot, leaving Alvarez to run the ball into an empty net.
17 mins: Tudor substituted Kinsky, who jogged off to a surreal ovation from the Atletico fans. Guglielmo Vicario, who was dropped by the Tottenham boss following poor recent displays, was introduced in Kinsky’s place. Romero, Porro and Kevin Danso all went over to console Kinsky as he left the field.
Antonin Kinsky Atletico vs. Spurs nightmare, reaction and analysis
When Kinsky was replaced, teammates Dominic Solanke, Joao Palhinha and Conor Gallagher — all of whom were named as substitutes — followed the dejected goalkeeper down the tunnel, along with a couple of members of Tottenham backroom staff.
The brutal nature of the substitution, given its timing, the events preceding it, Kinsky’s surprise selection and the position he plays, made the whole thing feel like grimly unprecedented. Tudor did not acknowledge his goalkeeper as he left the arena.
Antonin Kinsky’s #UCL career:
16 minutes played
5 touches
2 errors leading to an opposition goal
0 saves
3 goals conceded pic.twitter.com/FnLUeMyvIC— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 10, 2026
Speaking on TNT Sport, former Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart questioned Tudor’s reluctance to be forthcoming on why he selected Kinsky before the match and lambasted his attitude towards the beleaguered goalkeeper when he was hauled off.
“I’ve been trying to make sense of it, and my overall feeling is my heart’s absolutely broken for the lad,” Hart said.
“I know it’s a tough school. It’s the Champions League, it’s such an important game. I said before the game, he [Tudor] had an opportunity to give us the reason why he put him in goal, and he didn’t say. Was he getting an opportunity tonight? Was he just filling the gloves for one game? That just felt like the message given to him on such a special night.
“I’m not making excuses for the lad. He’s had a horrible 14 minutes. It was everything that he didn’t want to happen. I don’t know what to say — I’m heartbroken for the lad. This Tottenham team is all over the shop at the moment.”
14:59 – Atlético de Madrid’s three goals against Tottenham Hotspur is the earliest a side has ever been three goals ahead in a UEFA Champions League knockout stage match. Demoralised. pic.twitter.com/ZUN4s5tqjO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 10, 2026
On Tudor’s impassiveness when Kinsky made way, Hart added: “If that’s man-management, then I’m flabbergasted. He’s acted like that’s not the 14th minute, and that just doesn’t happen at any level. I’m talking Sunday League level. This is the Champions League. He stands there, pretends it’s not happened and moves on.”
Speaking alongside Hart, former Liverpool, Real Madrid and England midfielder Steve McManaman said: “That’s man-management at its very, very worst. For his manager not to even acknowledge him, not to say ‘sorry’, put his arm around him…. Do something to affect the situation. That’s as cold as cold can be.”
All the early indications are that this is an episode that plays incredibly badly for Tudor, whose position at Tottenham has already been questioned. His team travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
Moments after Richarlison almost pulled another goal back for Tottenham, Alvarez scored his second of the night to put Atletico 5-1 up in the 55th minute. Dominic Solanke made it 5-2 to give them some slim hope for the second leg.
Former Manchester United and Spain goalkeeper David de Gea tweeted his support for Kinsky.
“No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position,” he posted. “Keep your head up and you will go again.”
Ex-Spurs and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It is selfish from the manager – he knows he will not be here for long. I have never seen that in my whole career. It is clearly for self-preservation and with no consideration for the young goalkeeper.”
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Igor Tudor reaction to Kinsky substitution
After the match, Tudor refused to discuss whether or not he had spoken to Kinsky after substituting him.
“We don’t need to comment. It’s not a moment to speak too much,” he told TNT Sport.
“After you see what happened, for sure it is the wrong decision. It was for me, the right decision to do before [the game], because the team changed competition, it was the right moment to do it
“Unfortunately, what happened happened. I’ve never changed a goalkeeper after 20 minutes, but it’s happened.”
Antonin Kinsky transfer fee, stats
Kinsky signed for Tottenham from Slavia Prague in January 2025 in a deal worth £12.5 million ($16.8m).
He enjoyed a dream debut, keeping a clean sheet as Tottenham beat Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals. However, the 22-year-old was also between the posts when the Reds won the return game 4-0 at Anfield.
Kinsky conceded 11 goals across five Premier League games for Spurs last season. This term, Vicario has been an ever-present, restricting him to appearances in the domestic cups before the ill-fated call arrived against Atletico.
In 13 games overall for Tottenham across all competitions, Kinsky has kept four clean sheets. He has played for Czechia Under-21s five times, having represented his country in every youth category from under-15s upwards.
