PARIS: Emiliano Martinez starred in a drama-filled penalty shootout as Aston Villa squeezed past Lille and into the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday following a late Matty Cash goal in normal time.
Villa led 2-1 from last week’s first leg but their quest for a first European trophy since 1982 looked doomed when goals from Yusuf Yazici and Benjamin Andre put Lille two up on the night and 3-2 ahead in the tie in northern France.
A defensive mishap allowed Cash to bring Villa even with three minutes left though before Martinez, displaying his trademark dark arts, saved twice in the shootout as Unai Emery’s side won 4-3 on penalties. “It has been a hell of a ride all of my career. I am a believer and a hard worker and it was my destiny today,” Martinez told TNT Sports.
“I always say in all my career, I owe my team-mates in those moments, even when we were watching Real Madrid last night the manager was saying we might go to penalties and in those moments I own my box.”
The Argentina goalkeeper saved spot-kicks from Nabil Bentaleb and Andre after being whistled loudly throughout the game by a crowd that had not forgotten his provocative celebrations after the 2022 World Cup final win over France.
There was a confusing moment during the shootout when he was shown a second yellow card for more antics, including pressing his finger to his lips, but rules now dictate that any bookings picked up in the match are reset before penalties commence.
“It’s all about reputation for time-wasting because the other goalie was doing exactly the same thing,” said Martinez.
“I got a yellow after 30 minutes and we were losing the game so I don’t know what the ref wants from me. Then there was no ball in the penalty spot and I was asking for a ball from the ball boy and I get booked; I just don’t understand the rules.”
It was a compelling finale to an evening that began with Lille quickly erasing Villa’s advantage, making full use of the extra rest afforded to them against a side who beat Arsenal 2-0 on Sunday.
Yazici steered home 15 minutes in to haul Paulo Fonseca’s team level over the two legs before Lille captain Andre glanced in a corner midway through the second half.
But with the Ligue 1 club heading towards their first major European semi-final, a defensive mix-up in the closing minutes proved costly. Cash hammered the ball home to bring Villa even at 3-3 on aggregate after Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier spilled a looping cross following a collision with Bentaleb.
Chevalier redeemed himself with a sensational save from Douglas Luiz in extra time, reacting sharply to scoop the Brazilian’s header over the crossbar after parrying a powerful shot from Leon Bailey. But Martinez had the final say in the shootout after Chevalier saved Bailey’s attempt, with Villa moving on to face Olympiakos in the last four.
Olympiakos also had their goalkeeper to thank as Kostas Tzolakis saved three spot-kicks against Fenerbahce in another shootout, one the Greeks won 3-2. Fenerbahce lost 3-2 away last week but Irfan Can Kahveci’s early goal brought the tie all square in Turkey before Tzolakis’ heroics Last season’s runners-up Fiorentina sealed a return to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over 10-man Viktoria Plzen after extra time. – AFP
