Antonin Kinsky taken off after 17 minutes in unprecedented Champions League moment | OneFootball

Antonin Kinsky was taken off after 17 minutes as Tottenham lost 5-2 at Atlético Madrid after two mistakes. According to L'Équipe, no previous starting goalkeeper had been substituted that early in the Champions League without injury.

The 22-year-old Czech joined in January 2025 as cover for Guglielmo Vicario’s ankle fracture. With Vicario out of form, Igor Tudor started Kinsky.

He had two late-season Premier League starts, both 0-2 defeats, but impressed enough for Auxerre and Lille to explore a loan.

A video showed captain Cristian Romero speaking with Tudor after a third Atlético goal by Julian Alvarez in the 15th minute, following Kinsky’s second error. Two minutes later Kinsky was replaced, with Romero consoling him. Tudor denied the switch was prompted by his captain and said he had little to add.

Team-mates embraced Kinsky as he left and some home fans applauded. Goalkeepers including David de Gea, Peter Schmeichel and Joe Hart voiced support.

It is too early to gauge the fallout, though he is likely to be shielded in the short term. The episode recalls Loris Karius’s 2018 final, a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in which he made two errors and never played for Liverpool again.

Attention may now turn to Tudor, beaten in four games since taking over, with 14 conceded and five scored. He faces criticism for selecting Kinsky and for not acknowledging him as he departed. Paul Merson called for Robbie Keane to replace him and predicted defeat at Liverpool on Sunday.

Source: L'Équipe