Rulli points out to Heitinga a painful mistake he made during his training

Gerónimo Rulli believes that Ajax could have done more to win the penalty shootout in the final of the TOTO KNVB Cup against PSV (1-1, 2-3 after penalties). That says the Argentinian keeper opposite AjaxTV. The 31-year-old Argentinian reveals that he has an unpleasant feeling about the lost series against the Eindhoven team. “You can train a penalty series and we didn’t do that,” said Rulli.

Rulli, who was crowned absolute penalty hero at Villarreal in the Europa League final of the 2020/21 season, is still disappointed by the lost penalty shootout. “These are moments when you feel very important as a goalkeeper. You have to deal with the adrenaline somehow. I like it because it’s the only moment when you can be the hero. I don’t think a penalty shootout is lottery. You can train on it and we didn’t.” John Heitinga, who will no longer be in the group for Ajax next season, previously indicated that he would not train on penalties because he considers the age-old phenomenon as a ‘lottery’.

The Argentinian tries to put Ajax’s poor performance this season into perspective. “It had to be. We also have a lot of young players in the line-up. They also have to experience the difficult moments. They have only experienced the good sides of the game, winning cups. These are the tough times, when you don’t reach your goal or when you get more criticism than compliments. Or when another team is better.” Ultimately, Ajax finished in third place in the Eredivisie, with no less than thirteen points less than arch-rival and national champion Feyenoord.

At Ajax, Rulli, who was taken over from Villarreal for eight million euros last winter, is still fixed until mid-2026, with a club option for another year. The four-time international of the Albeceleste looking forward to better times. “We have to learn from it so that we can show better next year. We have to prepare knowing that there is a team that was better than us. With that in mind, we have to try to get better and take back the national championship. ” It should become clear in the coming weeks who will take over Heitinga’s coaching role at Ajax.