Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had a night to remember against LOSC Lille on Thursday night, as the Argentine was the talk of the show for more than just his brilliance in the penalty shootout.
Aston Villa fans will be painting Lille claret and blue tonight as the Villans progressed to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League with a penalty shootout win over LOSC Lille.
The Villans gave themselves an uphill battle to overcome, going 2-0 down on the night to see the aggregate score switch to 3-2 before Matty Cash saved the day just three minutes from the 90.
In the 87th minute, the Poland international netted Villa’s lifeline to see the game go to extra time and eventually, to penalties, where all hope rested on Emi Martinez.
Read our Aston Villa player ratings vs Lille here
It was a fascinating penalty shootout to watch unfold, as the Argentine somehow managed to act as cold as ice when between the posts, but relished in taunting the home crowd to searing temperature when watching on.
The peak of confusion from the shootout was when the Villa keeper received a yellow card for his behaviour towards the crowd, leaving many puzzled as he had already been booked during the opening 90 minutes.
Why Emi Martinez wasn’t sent off for Aston Villa against Lille in the penalty shootout
Martinez was booked in the 39th minute of play for timewasting and was then booked again during the shootout for taunting the crowd after being warned by referee Ivan Kružliak.
There was a moment of confusion as the World Cup winner was not dismissed for a second booking however, ESPN journalist Dale Johnson cleared up why the goalkeeper was not forced to walk.
A rule that was implemented in the 2020/21 season meant that yellow cards reset at the start of the penalty shootout, something that was not revised by many before Martinez came along against Lille.
It was fortunate for the Argentina international, who was able to then remain on the pitch and save the match-winning penalty, denying two of Lille’s players from the spot in the shootout.
Emi Martinez was lucky not to be left red-faced against Lille
After being booed and having objects thrown at him for over 120 minutes, Martinez is probably one of the happiest men in France right now, having left many supporters furious with his behaviour.
As he did in the World Cup final, the Villa hero put his skillset first when it mattered, giving him the room to continue to let his personality run wild on the pitch as when it came down to the important part, he was there to deliver.
What would Aston Villa do without Emi Martinez? It was a question that many thought would need to be answered after he was handed a second yellow in the penalty shootout.
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