Thibaut Courtois messages Antonin Kinsky after Tottenham nightmare | Football | Sport

The Spurs goalkeeper was brought in to deputise for Guglielmo Vicario for the Champions League last-16 first leg in Spain, but suffered a torrid evening before being substituted after 16 minutes. His wayward pass enabled the La Liga side to open the scoring within the first five minutes before a defensive mishap made it 2-0.

One of Kinsky’s most notable errors came as he attempted to place a first-time pass, only to miscue his clearance and present the ball to Atletico’s Julian Alvarez, who was left with an empty net.

In a ruthless move, Tottenham manager Igor Tudor decided to substitute Kinsky, restoring Vicario to his position for the rest of the match, which Spurs would surrender 5-2. Kinsky appeared devastated and proceeded directly down the tunnel.

Courtois has since made contact and believes the playing surface at the Wanda Metropolitano has created multiple difficulties.

He said: “I sent him a message on Instagram because it’s tough. In the end, it hasn’t happened to me as much as it has to him, but after the Ajax match here at home, I also took quite a bit of flak.”

The Real Madrid goalkeeper later added: “It’s mentally tough to keep going, you need the support of your team, to feel good again in training and to play well. Ultimately, I think the pitch is causing more problems, not just for Tottenham or Atletico but for many teams that have played there.”

Igor Tudor finds himself under immense pressure having lost all four of his matches, prompting questions regarding his future. The 47-year-old admits he made the incorrect decision by introducing Kinsky into the starting line-up, but believed before kick-off it was a shrewd move.

He said: “After seeing what happened, for sure it was the wrong decision. But it was, for me, the right decision to do, thinking before, because the team changed competition and it was, in the moment, right to do. Unfortunately, what happened happened. I’ve never changed my goalkeeper after 14 minutes. It’s not easy, it happened.”

Courtois did challenge Tudor’s decision to withdraw Kinsky following his second error, and suggested that the young shot-stopper “may have been able to regain some of the confidence he had lost with a few great saves.”