In a gripping penalty shootout against Lille, Aston Villa’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez went from receiving a second yellow card to becoming the hero of the night. Martinez was booked twice during the match, once for time-wasting and again during the shootout for goading fans after saving a penalty.

Astonishingly, Martinez escaped an early bath as a little-known rule states that yellow cards are wiped out between the end of extra time and penalties. With Villa leading 4-3 in the shootout, Martinez saved a crucial penalty from Benjamin Andre, securing Villa’s spot in the semi-finals. Despite confusion among fans about the referee’s decisions, Martinez’s performance was crucial in Villa’s comeback.

Reflecting on the match, Martinez expressed gratitude to his teammates and the club’s supporters, emphasizing their belief in achieving something special. Villa manager Unai Emery praised Martinez for his leadership and mentality, highlighting his importance to the team on and off the field.

Il les a own en CDM ils ont eu le seum maintenant il vient les own encore à domicile chez eux mais c’est qui ce Emiliano Martinez 😂😂😂😂😂. pic.twitter.com/KvdzRKuCr0

— Lamine Yamal (@Lamine_27) April 18, 2024

Emiliano Martínez

This season he played in total 9 times for 796 minutes for Europa Conference League.

He made 17 saves and conceded 8 goals. He received 3 yellow cards and no red cards.

His team is currently 4th in Europa Conference League. In the last match Aston Villa won 2-0 against Arsenal.

Aston Villa performance and stats

Aston Villa is currently 1st in the Europa Conference League with 13 points.

In the last 11 games, it has won 8 times, drawn twice, and lost once. In its last match, Aston Villa won 2-1 against LOSC Lille.​​

It has a positive goal difference after scoring 12 goals and conceding 7.​

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