Goalkeeper Antonín Kinsky was substituted after just 17 minutes into Tottenham’s Champions League round-of-16 first leg against Atlético Madrid, as his team fell to a 3-0 deficit.
Marcos Llorente opened the scoring for the home side just six minutes into the match, capitalizing on a mistake by Kinsky, who gave the ball away. Shortly thereafter, Antoine Griezmann doubled their lead.
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Moments after Griezmann’s goal, Kinsky attempted a left-footed pass from his area, but once again misfired. The ball fell directly to Julián Álvarez, who simply slotted it into an empty net.
Tottenham’s captain Cristian Romero approached interim manager Igor Tudor before Atlético could restart the match, and shortly thereafter, Kinsky was replaced by regular starter Guglielmo Vicario.
As Kinsky left the field, he received hugs from Romero and Kevin Danso, but walked directly down the tunnel after a difficult debut in the Champions League.
This match was Kinsky’s first start for Tottenham since October, although he had previously participated in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
Spurs substitutes João Palhinha, Conor Gallagher, and Dominic Solanke rushed to support Kinsky, with staff member Dean Brill following after a rough night for the young goalkeeper in just his 13th appearance for the Premier League club.
This substitution marked the earliest goalkeeper change in Champions League knockout history, equaling the record set by Lyon’s Gregory Coupet, who was replaced after 17 minutes in a 2003-04 round of 16 match against Real Sociedad.
Unfortunately for Spurs, the goals continued to flow, as Robin Le Normand increased Atlético’s lead to 4-0 just minutes later, making it the second-quickest occurrence of a team scoring four goals in a Champions League match—only outpaced by their rivals Real Madrid against Dinamo Zagreb in 2011.
Tottenham managed to restore some dignity with goals from Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke, sandwiching a second goal from Álvarez.
Despite these efforts, Tottenham faces a daunting challenge to overcome a 5-2 deficit in the second leg at home next week.
With Tudor appointed just last month, he is already under significant pressure, having seen the team lose their last five matches prior to the collision in Madrid.
This report incorporates information from ESPN Global Research, The Associated Press, and PA.