Kinsky gets support from goalkeeper community after Champions League debacle, if not from his coach

There was no arm around the shoulder from his manager as Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky trudged off the field after being substituted just 17 minutes into his calamitous Champions League debut.

Instead, support for the 22-year-old Czech came from the goalkeeper community.

“No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position,” Fiorentina's David De Gea wrote on social media after Kinsky was taken off the field after making two mistakes leading to goals early in Tottenham’s 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

“Keep your head up and you will go again.”

Former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said in his role as a pundit for CBS Sports that he felt “really, really sorry” for Kinsky, who miskicked twice when attempting passes out from his area — leading to goals for first Marcos Llorente and then Julian Alvarez.

Schmeichel then had strong words for Tottenham manager Igor Tudor, who didn’t even acknowledge Kinsky as the young keeper walked off the field and straight down the tunnel. Tudor just continued looking straight out onto the field.

Schmeichel said Tudor should have kept Kinsky on, at least until halftime.

“That’s going to have ramifications for the rest of his career,” Schmeichel said. “This will be a moment that everybody in football will always remember every time they see and hear his name.

“What he’s done there, for me,” he added, “he’s absolutely killed his career. That’s going to take something to get over that.”

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson, working at the match for the BBC, said being withdrawn so early would be “confidence destroying” for Kinsky.

“I’ve never seen that on a football pitch,” Robinson said, in thoughts echoed by former England goalkeeper Joe Hart — also at the game for broadcaster TNT Sports.

“My heart is absolutely broken for him,” Hart said.

Tudor said he spoke to Kinsky after the match, and took him off to “preserve the guy.”

“He understands everything,” the Croatian coach said. “It’s a big lesson, unfortunately it happened in this big game.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez goes round Tottenham's goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky to score his side's third goal during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Tottenham's goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, right, is greeted by Tottenham's goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after being substituted during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Tottenham's goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, center, is greeted by teammates after being substituted during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Tottenham's goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky leaves the pitch after being substituted during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Tottenham in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Two goals from Igor Matanovic were not enough to stop Europa League finalist Freiburg losing 3-2 at Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Bakery Jatta opened the scoring for Hamburg when he was left unmarked but Matanovic soon leveled for Freiburg. Goals from Luka Vušković and Fabio Baldé put Hamburg back in control in the second half and Matanović's 87th-minute header proved only a consolation goal for Freiburg.

The loss is a blow to seventh-place Freiburg's hopes of qualifying for the Conference League via the Bundesliga. Freiburg could yet end up in the Champions League with a win over Aston Villa in the final of the Europa League on May 20. Hamburg moves up a place to 11th.

Later Sunday, last-place Heidenheim takes on Cologne needing at least a point to keep its hopes of avoiding relegation.

Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt has been in charge for 19 years, overseeing promotion from the regional fourth tier and even a European campaign in the Conference League last season. He has yet to experience relegation.

The bottom two teams are relegated automatically and the team in 16th faces a two-leg promotion-relegation playoff against a team from the second division.

Also Sunday, pioneering coach Marie-Louise Eta and her Union Berlin team take on Mainz. Union remains winless as Eta heads into her fourth game in charge as the first female head coach in Europe's top five major men's leagues. Union, which is safe from relegation, is aiming to build on a draw last week against Cologne.

Eta's five-game interim head coach stint is due to end next week when Union hosts Augsburg in its last game of the season. She has already agreed to take charge of the Union women's team for next season.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Hamburger's Luka Vuskovic, centre, celebrates with Nicolai Remberg, second from left, and Nicolas Capaldo after scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hamburger SV and Sport-Club Freiburg in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)