In the early hours of Friday morning in the second leg of the UEFA Europa League round of eight, a thrilling battle unfolded between Lille and Aston Villa in a match of breathtaking drama! Villa goalkeeper Damien Martinez saved the day in the 12-yard penalty shootout, miraculously not being sent off despite having accumulated two yellow cards. Not only did he keep out the crucial penalty, but he also put in a great performance to help his team advance to the semi-finals of the European Association. The semi-final will be a tough match against Olympiakos.
Villa took a 2-1 lead in the first leg. In the match, he was met by a long range shot from Yesses in the 15th minute and then hit by a corner from Banjeevananda in the 67th minute, but eventually came back with a 2-3 equalizer. In the closing stages of the game, Villa went all out on the counter-attack. Three minutes before the end of the match, a mistake in the Lille defense led to confusion and Madika scored from distance to make the aggregate score 3-3. Extra time saw both teams goalless, and the match had to be decided through a penalty shootout.
Penalty shoot-outs have always been Martinez's forte, having helped Argentina beat France in the '22 World Cup final, albeit with celebrations that offended French fans. In this match, he was once again in the spotlight. In the first round of penalties, Bindana provoked the French fans after his shot and received a yellow card for it; a yellow card for delaying the game in the first half could have led to his sending off, but the referee remained impartial.
It is reported that according to the old rule of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) Article 10, all yellow cards count for the penalty shootout within the legal time of the match (120 minutes). Therefore, Martinez's yellow card in the first half did not affect the penalty shootout. The Argentinean international was able to parry a Banjeevan Anda shot in the fifth round to help Villa win 4-3.
Despite being booed by the home fans after the penalty shootout, Martinez responded to the skepticism by jumping up and dancing with the French fans after the penalty win. Lille head coach Litan was outspoken in his criticism after the match, "I don't want to waste time talking about Martinez, his attitude is not at all in line with the standards of a top player." Villa head coach Aymari, on the other hand, defended Martinez: "I asked you before the game about the reaction of the French fans, and now everyone has seen it. Martinez is a man of character, but his vast experience allows him to know how to control himself."
