The moment Rulli arrived late against Mané, he pitched the ball and headed for Liverpool’s third goal. Photo: REUTERS/Pablo Morano.
In a Champions League semi-final, everything is usually determined by the details. And even if no one should be judged for 90 minutes, the Argentine goalkeeper’s mistakes Geronimo Rulli Villarreal fans will remember them, who again did not reach the final, as in 2006 when Juan Román Riquelme did not receive a penalty against Inter Italy.
For the former Estudiantes de La Plata, the fight couldn’t have been worse. His team won 2-0 and thus slightly reversed last week’s defeat and put Villarreal, at home, on equal terms with one of the candidates. But instead of ending the partnership to achieve what will be the historic pass in the sense of Orejona in Paris on May 28.
The second half was hell for the goalkeeper looking for a place on the Argentine National Team in the Qatar World Cup, but he didn’t offer arguments for Lionel Scaloni to score.
The first error was a step Fabinho started in the middle of the attack, moved to the right side and unloaded to receive it again at the spot where he took a shot at the nearby post. which mediated between Rulli’s legs.
Five minutes later, something similar happened. This time Luis Díaz headed for a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold … which came back between the goalkeeper’s legs. It is true that here there is less distance and, therefore, less time for the goalkeeper to react, as there were almost no interventions in the first stage.
So, in a matter of minutes, the Yellow Submarine has gone from being at the top of a historic moment to starring in the collapse of the same dream.
Liverpool’s third is not a pipe, but Rulli was also found as the protagonist. Delivered on the attack, Villarreal played on the Liverpool field. From there a ball came out for Mané: the former Estudiantes goalkeeper came out to cut him as Foyth ran after him from behind. The striker from Senegal arrived earlier, left the goalkeeper on the road, beat the Argentine defender on the run and defined before the empty goal.
From hero to villain, Rulli emulated what happened before, certainly in Liverpool, all the way to Germany Loris Kariusin the 2018 final. There has never been a goalkeeper who made three direct goal errors in the same Champions League series.
Source: Clarin
