Manchester City goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli made two penalty saves as the Blues beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-3 in a Carabao Cup shootout, having told Enzo Fernandez before kick-off that he would save two spot kicks if the tie went the distance.
City twice fell behind against the Seagulls, with Malick Yalcouye and Georginio Rutter putting Brighton ahead. Mateo Kovacic and Vitor Reis scored to level the game and force a shootout to decide who would reach the quarter-finals.
Rulli's decisive saves
When Jason Steele saved Kovacic's penalty, City were on the verge of exiting the competition. Rulli then denied Yasin Ayari and Lewis Dunk, either side of Rayan Cherki's converted spot kick, to win the shootout.
Speaking to Matchday Live after the game, Rulli reflected on a proud night. "I feel amazing, really good because I can help my teammates and it was a really, really tough night for us," he said. "At the end, winning the penalty shootout was a really, really nice feeling. For me, [penalties] is my moment. These kind of situations, I do not feel the pressure. I try to play with our fans because they are really, really important in this kind of moment."
Confidence before the game
Rulli revealed he had predicted his impact before the match. "I know I will save penalties. Before the game, I spoke to Enzo Fernandez and I said to him: 'If we go to penalties, I will save two,' so I feel the confidence and really nice in these kind of situations and ready to help."
In his pre-match press conference, Enzo Maresca admitted he had spoken to Rulli about being a back-up for Gianluigi Donnarumma this season. This was confirmed post-match when Maresca said Donnarumma will start against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Back-up role
Rulli acknowledged that being a back-up is not an easy position for him. "I try to be better, day-by-day. I try to push, every single day and when I have the moment, I try to take the opportunity because my position is not so easy," he concluded.
