Rai Vloet has gone through the dust after his failed panenka during the match between PEC Zwolle and Heracles Almelo. The midfielder was allowed to score from eleven meters with 73 minutes on the clock and decided to try a panenka, but saw the ball go over the bar. Vloet says he thought the best chance of a goal was to shoot the ball through the middle, but at the same time agrees that the execution was ‘dramatic’.
“I was actually already aware during training yesterday that I would do this”, Vloet starts in front of the camera of ESPN. “In the last penalty kicks I took, I always chose a corner with conviction. Keepers go to a corner quite early, on my penalties. Hence I chose to chip this one down the middle. I also watch images of the keeper and I thought: with this position the keeper goes to a corner. So I had the best chance by shooting the ball through the middle. Maybe I should have just shot it through the middle, instead of a panenka.”
Rai Vloet has the ideal chance to give Heracles the lead and tries it with a panenka… ??
?? ESPN
#?? #PECHER pic.twitter.com/2NdNG8P5PA— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) October 23, 2021
Vloet acknowledges to TC Tubantia that the execution of the penalty kick was ‘dramatic’. “My apologies to the entire club, supporters. I just did the group. I blame myself for this defeat. I feel really shitty because I’m there to shoot that penalty. It’s my responsibility to do that and it’s not happening. It will eventually fall on the other side.”
Heracles coach Frank Wormuth says after the game – which was decided by a striking penalty kick by Bram van Polen in injury time – in front of the camera of ESPN not to be angry with Vloet. “Rai is disappointed, I think. He knows what he’s done. We’ve also seen such penalties go in. But if such a penalty doesn’t go in… This is strange. But I am not angry.”