Credit: Imago, The Overlap on YouTube

Evan Lloyd

Thu 12 March 2026 14:30, UK

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Wayne Rooney has revealed that Antonin Kinsky had been slipping over in the warm-up to his nightmare 17 minutes in Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The Premier League side were 3-0 down within 15 minutes, after the young goalkeeper had made two fatal errors with the ball at his feet.

The 22-year-old’s position in the starting line-up had been a huge surprise, but it was brought to an early end when he was hooked off for Guglielmo Vicario after just 17 minutes were played.

Robin Le Normand added a fourth just minutes after the substitution, with the match ultimately ending 5-2 and leaving the Lilywhites with a mountain to climb in the last 16 second leg next week.

Tottenham’s loss is their sixth consecutive across all competitions, with the threat of relegation in the Premier League looming.

Wayne Rooney reveals pre-match Antonin Kinsky scenes

It was not just Kinsky struggling with the surface of the pitch at the Wanda Metropolitano – Micky van de Ven’s fall allowed Antoine Griezmann to stride in on goal before scoring the second.

The goalkeeper had been brought into the starting line-up with his ability on the ball in mind, but his first slip saw the ball fall straight to Ademola Lookman, before it eventually found Marcos Llorente for the opener.

Kinsky will struggle to blame the pitch for the third goal, however. The Czech goalkeeper attempted to play a first-time ball with his left foot, but completely scuffed it into the path of Julian Alvarez.

His night was over, and despite the heart-warming support he has received, there is a feeling that he will not be able to look past that night for some time.

Tottenham have moved for Lucas Chavalier already, in an early attempt to refresh their goalkeeping options.

Speaking to The Overlap on Thursday, Rooney revealed that the 22-year-old had already been struggling to adapt to the surface before the game.

“He done it in the warm-up, apparently, as well,” he said. “Slipped a few times in the warm-up, it’s come out this morning.”

What Igor Tudor said after Kinsky display

Understandably, Kinsky has taken plenty of criticism for his role in the dramatic errors against Atleti, but Igor Tudor has been a target as well.

It was the Croatian’s decision to drop Vicario for such a huge game, and also his decision to substitute him after just 17 minutes.

“I was speaking with Toni after,” he said after the game. “He is a bright guy, good goalkeeper and unfortunately it happened in this big game, these big mistakes.

“The start of the game was too much for us. In this moment when we are fragile, when we are weak.”