Emiliano Martinez Penalty Heroics Take Aston Villa To Conference League Semi-Finals

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 in the shootout.

"He is very important for us. He has his personality and his personality in the dressing room is very important because he is a leader with his experiences. He has a really brilliant mentality," said Emery.

"And then on the pitch he has his personality and he played fantastic. He saved two penalty shots so of course I am very proud of him. I am very proud of all the players."

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 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 dictate that any bookings picked up in the match are reset before penalties commence.

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.

Lille start strongly

Yazici steered home 15 minutes in to