"From dream to nightmare": Criticised goalkeeper reacts to his horror debut in the Champions League

Kinsky left the pitch visibly dejected. With a little distance, the keeper commented on the dramatic night for the first time in an Instagram story. "Thank you for the messages," he wrote, emphasising: "From dream to nightmare and back to dream again. See you soon."

Earlier in the season, the Czech had only played twice in the English League Cup, which is why his selection in the starting line-up for the first leg of the round of 16 was all the more surprising. After just six minutes, Kinsky's evening was already off to a bad start when he slipped with the ball at his feet and Marcos Llorente slotted home to make it 1-0. To make matters worse, he missed the ball before Julian Alvarez made it 3-0.

Tudor explained the substitution by saying that he wanted to "protect the player and the team." "I told Toni after the match that he is the right man and a good goalkeeper. Unfortunately, these mistakes happened in this important match."

Nevertheless, criticism rained down on the Spurs coach. "Everyone in the football world will remember this moment from now on when they see or hear Kinsky's name. You should have at least left him on until half-time. This has completely destroyed his career. I really feel for him," railed goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel, for example.

Kinsky has been under contract with Tottenham since early 2025, after moving to London from Slavia Prague for €16.5 million. However, he has been unable to get past regular starter Guglielmo Vicario. He has made a total of 13 appearances so far.