The Argentine's bold pre-match claim
Rulli has revealed he was brimming with confidence long before the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton went to a penalty shootout. The Argentine goalkeeper proved to be the difference-maker for City, saving two crucial spot-kicks to ensure the Cityzen progressed. Rulli’s interventions were particularly vital after Mateo Kovacic saw his effort saved, putting Maresca's side in a precarious position during the high-stakes exchange.
Speaking after the match, the keeper admitted he had already envisioned his success during a private conversation with teammate Enzo Fernandez. “I know I would save any penalty. Before the game I spoke to Enzo Fernandez and told him if it goes to penalties I will save two. I feel the confidence, I feel really nice in these kinds of situations. I’m ready to help,” Rulli told City Studios. His prediction turned out to be remarkably accurate as he first denied Yasin Ayari and then stepped up to block Lewis Dunk’s decisive effort.
Stalemate leads to shootout drama
The match itself was a rollercoaster affair that saw Brighton push the hosts to their absolute limits over ninety minutes. Malick Yalcouye opened the scoring for the visitors, only for Kovacic to restore parity before the half-time whistle blew. The second half followed a similar pattern of trading blows, with Georginio Rutter finding the net for the Seagulls and Vitor Reis equalising for City to leave the score locked at 2-2 at the final whistle.
The shootout began with high quality as Phil Foden, Pascal Gross, Fernandez, Matt O’Riley, Jeremy Doku, and Maxim De Cuyper all converted their respective attempts. However, the tension spiked when Kovacic’s strike was parried away. This moment set the stage for Rulli to fulfill his earlier promise to Fernandez, as he immediately regained the momentum for his side by thwarting the Brighton attackers in succession.
Connecting with the Etihad faithful
Rulli was quick to credit the Manchester City supporters for their role in his performance, noting that the atmosphere at the Etihad provided the perfect backdrop for his heroics. The goalkeeper explained that he feeds off the energy of the crowd, using their vocal support to unsettle opponents. He highlighted the importance of the bond between the players and the stands during the most stressful moments of the game.
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“For me it’s my moment. In these situations I don’t feel the pressure, I try to play also with our fans. For me they are really important in these kind of moments. In that moment when Mateo missed and I saved, that is the moment when the fans tried to help us and I tried to play with that,” the Argentine international added.
Cup hero Rulli returns to the bench
The energy provided by the home crowd seemed to give City the necessary boost to overcome the disappointment of missing their own penalty. Rulli noted that losing feels almost impossible when the supporters are fully behind the team in such a manner. The keeper was full of praise for the fans, stating: "That gave us energy and confidence. It’s really tough to lose when we have all the fans with us. This night, they were for me, one of the best points in the stadium."
However, Rulli’s Carabao Cup heroics will not be enough to disrupt the established hierarchy, with the Argentine shot-stopper set to return to the bench for this weekend’s Premier League clash against the exact same opposition. Maresca will continue to pick Gianluigi Donnarumma to stand between the sticks.