Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois reached out to Tottenham's Antonin Kinsky on Instagram after the Spurs keeper was substituted in the first half of the Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois has revealed that he reached out to Tottenham' Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky following his performance on Tuesday night in the Champions League, suggesting that the Atletico Madrid pitch was at fault.
Kinsky was brought in to replace Guglielmo Vicario for the Champions League last-16 first leg in Spain, but had a tough outing before being substituted after just 16 minutes.
His errant pass enabled the La Liga side to score within the first five minutes, and a defensive error soon made it 2-0.
Kinsky's worst moment of the evening occurred when he attempted a first-time pass, only to scuff his kick and present the ball to Julian Alvarez, who had an unguarded net to aim at.
In a ruthless move, Tottenham manager Igor Tudor then replaced Kinsky, bringing on Vicario for the rest of the match, which Spurs would go on to lose 5-2. The visibly upset goalkeeper immediately headed for the tunnel, reports the Mirror.
Courtois has since extended his support for Kinsky, arguing that the Wanda Metropolitano pitch has been problematic.
He stated: "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 stated: "It’s mentally tough to keep going, you need the support of your team, to feel good again in training and to play well.
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"Ultimately, I think the pitch is causing more problems, not just for Tottenham or Atletico but for many teams that have played there."
Tudor finds himself under immense pressure having suffered defeat in all four of his fixtures in charge, prompting speculation regarding his future.
The Croatian acknowledges he made an error in introducing Kinsky to the starting line-up, though believed prior to kick-off it represented the correct decision.
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 question Tudor's choice to withdraw Kinsky following his second mistake, suggesting that the young shot-stopper "may have been able to regain some of the confidence he had lost with a few great saves."