Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Tottenham Hotspur and Antonin Kinsky in Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The tie quickly appeared unsalvageable when Spurs conceded four goals within the opening 22 minutes of the first half. And unfortunately for Kinsky, who was surprisingly picked ahead of usual first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, it could be a match that defines his career for all the wrong reasons.
Kinsky lasted just 17 minutes before he was substituted and headed straight down the tunnel. The 22-year-old had already conceded three times in his first Champions League start – and two of those goals were entirely his fault.
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
Tottenham attempted to play it out of the back just after five minutes and it backfired spectacularly when Kinsky’s unfortunate slip gifted possession to Ademola Lookman in his own area. Julian Alvarez received a pass and played it on to Marcos Llorente to finish.
Atletico’s second goal was generously assisted by Micky van de Ven’s slip under a bouncing back pass from Pape Sarr. Antoine Griezmann latched onto the loose ball before sliding it past Kinsky.
Kinsky’s night was over after Atleti’s third. Just over 90 seconds after Griezmann’s finish, Van de Ven played a harmless pass back to Kinsky. However, the young Czech goalkeeper’s attempted first-time ball to Kevin Danso was a mess. He kicked it against his standing foot, presenting it to Alvarez in front of an open goal.
Interim manager Igor Tudor didn’t acknowledge Kinsky as he came off the pitch upon being replaced by Vicario.
“It was necessary to preserve the guy, preserve the team,” Tudor explained of Kinsky’s substitution post-match.
It didn’t take long for Atletico Madrid to score past Vicario when he took Kinsky’s place, either. The Italian made a good save to prevent an own goal, but Robin Le Normand pounced on the rebound to make it 4-0.
Pedro Porro found the bottom corner in the 26th minute for Spurs.
Richarlison forced an excellent save from Jan Oblak in the 55th minute to almost put Tottenham within two goals of the hosts, but Atletico immediately unleashed a devastating counter-attack after the Brazilian’s chance. Griezmann initiated the surge upfield with a gorgeous touch to Alvarez, and the Argentine attacker sprinted almost three-quarters the length of the pitch before netting with a cool finish.
Oblak, playing at the same end of the ground where Kinsky endured his miserable evening, made his own mistake to give Spurs the faintest sliver of hope. His wayward pass rolled to Porro around 30 yards from goal, and he passed forward to Dominic Solanke in space. Solanke turned and smashed a shot into the roof of the net.
The result marked the first-ever time Spurs have ever lost six consecutive matches in all competitions. They travel to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday before the return leg against Atletico Madrid in north London next Wednesday.
“We apologize to the fans and to everyone,” Tudor told TNT Sports, according to BBC Sport. “It’s a difficult moment. Everything looks like (it’s) going wrong. Small mistakes, we pay. Everything, unbelievable.”