David de Gea sent a message of support to Antonin Kinsky after the Tottenham goalkeeper was taken off just 17 minutes into his Champions League debut.
An under-pressure Igor Tudor decided to drop an out-of-form Guglielmo Vicario for Tuesday night's Champions League round of 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid, a huge decision given the circumstances.
Instead, he called upon second-choice 'keeper Antonin Kinsky, whose last game for Tottenham came in October last year, when they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.
Unfortunately for the Czech goalkeeper, Tudor's decision to give him some rare minutes backfired almost immediately as he made a handful of errors in the opening stages to hand Atletico a three-goal lead.
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In fact, shortly after Julian Alvarez made it 3-0 in the 15th minute, Kinsky was replaced by Vicario.
"Wow, wow, wow," said former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson on BBC Radio 5 Live. "I have never seen that on a football pitch. What a huge call from the manager Igor Tudor. Yes, the goalkeeper was at fault, but that is confidence-destroying for Antonin Kinsky."
As the fallout from his nightmare cameo played out on social media, former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea sent the 23-year-old a message of support.
Taking to X, he wrote: "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."
Fans react to David de Gea's message to Antonin Kinsky
De Gea has been widely praised for showing support to Kinsky.
One fan wrote: "He knows it better than any other GK. Literally got abused by the media/fans for years yet still put his head up and carried us on multiple occasions. Only the elites are capable of that."
A second said: "The hardest position on the pitch," and a third commented: "Subbing a goalkeeper in this situation is mental destruction. Let him see the game through at least it’s not like spurs will put up a fight anyway."
A fourth wrote: Spot on, David. The position can be brutally unforgiving, especially on nights like this. Massive respect to Kinsky for stepping up head up, young man. You'll come back stronger," and a fifth added: "Well said."
Goals from Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Robin Le Normand gave the home side a 4-0 lead after just 22 minutes.
Tottenham managed to pull one back through Pedro Porro, but the hosts reclaimed their four-goal advantage just 10 minutes into the second-half, when Alvarez netted his brace.
Dominic Solanke scored a consolation in the 76th minute to make it 5-2 but ultimately, it was another result to forget for struggling Spurs, who will need a minor miracle in the second leg on March 18.
Topics: David De Gea, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Champions League
Jack Kenmare