Antonin Kinsky beamed from ear to ear after shutting out Liverpool on his Tottenham debut.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper was exceptional after being thrown straight in at the deep end by Ange Postecoglou. Against a side which had only been beaten once all season prior to kick-off, Kinsky was confident with the ball at his feet and commanded his penalty area with confidence.
He was seen hugging his emotional family in the stands after Stuart Attwell’s full-time whistle confirmed that Spurs would take a 1-0 lead to Anfield for the second leg of the semi-final thanks to a late Lucas Bergvall winner.
And after the game, Kinsky told Sky Sports: “It’s definitely one of the best nights of my life. I’m a big dreamer, I have my own visions of the future. This dream, I have never dreamt this one. Amazing.”
Spurs signed the youngster from Slavia Prague in a £12.5million deal which was completed at the weekend. With first-choice stopper Guglielmo Vicario out injured, Kinsky was given a vote of confidence on a daunting stage, and he immediately repaid the manager’s faith.
“I’m really happy for the whole club because I came three days ago and everything has worked out so well, everyone is so kind. But still, it’s just the first leg.”
On the wholesome scenes of Kinsky embracing his family, he added: “I hugged my sister because yesterday I got to know there is a possibility of me being in goal today so I called them immediately. My sister, her boyfriend and my parents. I hope my dad is proud. My grandfather was also a goalkeeper so he was definitely watching as well.”
It is understood that Tottenham signed Kinsky for him to compete with Vicario for the starting role. And he did his chances of ousting the Italian no harm against Liverpool.
The Czech’s team-mate, Dominic Solanke, who produced a brilliant assist for Bergvall, was full of praise. “He was phenomenal,” the striker told Sky Sports. “He came three days ago, to look that comfortable and confident out there I can’t give him enough credit.
“He looked like a natural out there, like he’s been playing out there for years. Especially at his age, it’s a big credit to him. We’re going to need him, we’ve got a few big games coming up.”
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