Aston Villa have reached their first European semi-final for the first time in 42 years after seeing off Lille on penalties on Thursday night.
The Villans had won the first leg of their quarter-final 2-1 at Villa Park, putting them at a great advantage for the return leg at the Decathlon Arena.
However, things didn’t quite go to plan for Unai Emery’s charges for much of the game, with Lille scoring in the 15th minute to level proceedings in the tie.
Then, in the 67th minute, Benjamin Andre netted to put the hosts on the cusp of qualification at Villa’s expense.
However, Matty Cash came up with an 87th-minute goal to give the Villans a lifeline, making it 3-3 on aggregate.
Neither side could be separated in extra time, so it went to penalties, where things got particularly dramatic.
What happened in penalty shoot-out between Lille and Aston Villa?
Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved from Nabil Bentaleb and began winding up the home crowd.
The referee showed Martinez a yellow card, which would’ve been his second of the night, but the keeper wasn’t sent off.
This is due to a rule which stipulates that yellow cards are reset at the start of a penalty shoot-out.
The Argentina international went on to save from Lille’s Andre in the penalty shoot-out to put Emery’s charges into the semi-finals, much to the delight of the travelling contingent.
Aston Villa cult hero Lee Hendrie, commentating on Sky Sports, was blown away by Martinez and sung his praises post-match.
What did Lee Hendrie say about Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez?
Hendrie said: “Boom! Martinez is the main man. It’s unbelievable.
“He’s the best goalkeeper in the world. I can’t believe Arsenal let him go. Villa into the semi-finals. Let’s have it.
“They didn’t play anywhere near their best but Emery is the manager of the year. They dug deep. Have you got any champagne here?
“Martinez saved from Andre with his legs. It wasn’t the best penalty. The big players turn up in the big moments. The fans gave him no end of stick.
“He gave them a Ricky Gervais dance at the end. I’m thrilled for the club and for Martinez. That’s the way to silence the crowd.”
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