Aston Villa: Emiliano Martinez has last laugh v Lille, ‘pantomime villain’ turns hero
Emiliano Martinez had the last laugh at the Decathlon Arena as Aston Villa advanced to the Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday (18 April).
Villa took a 2-1 lead in the first leg one week ago, a lead that was diminished within 15 minutes in the reverse fixture as Yusuf Yazici fired home a Gabriel Gudmundsson cross.
Lille looked set to knock the Villans out of the competition when Benjamin Andre headed home from a corner, only for Matty Cash to lash home and send the game to extra time.
The match eventually went to penalties after a deadlock in extra time, and despite being taunted throughout the match, Martinez stepped up to the plate to knock Lille out on penalties.
Speaking via talkSPORT2 on Thursday (18 April, 5:48pm), Scott Minto dubbed the shot-stopper as a “pantomime villain” as the home crowd booed his every touch throughout the match.
Having saved penalties against Nabil Bentaleb and Andre, the Argentine quickly turned from villain to hero but continued to frustrate the Lille fans as he flaunted the shoot-out victory.
World-class Emiliano Martinez to the rescue in Aston Villa v Lille
Despite conceding twice during the initial 90 minutes, Martinez continued to prove why he is one of the best shot-stoppers in world football, having kept his side in the match after denying Andre from close range.
The shot had an xG of 0.41, as per FotMob, and his teammates will have been thankful for the save, even if it was made with his face.
In addition to this, among goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues, the 31-year-old ranks in the top 89 percentile for touches, which was extremely useful in releasing pressure from Lille on Thursday night. [FBref]
He must be appreciated for one of his best aspects too, having made one high claim and 11 recoveries, as per FotMob. Martinez ranks in the top 99 percentile for crosses stopped and the top 98 percentile for defensive actions outside of the penalty areas. [FBref]
This will have added a lot of confidence to the Villa backline, who when in possession would be stationed at the halfway line, and finished the match with a 78 per cent passing accuracy. [FotMob]
There should also be no surprises over Martinez’s performances anymore, especially in penalty shoot-outs after helping Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title.
Among goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues, the Villa man only ranks in the top 25 percentile for penalty saves, as per FBref, though this did stop him from becoming the hero.
The ‘keeper initially denied Bentaleb from the penalty spot for Lille’s first spot-kick, turning to shush the home fans. His heart would have been in his mouth when Leon Bailey missed from 12 yards.
However, the Lille fans will have instantly regretted making Martinez the “pantomime villain” of the match, as he produced another stunning stop to deny their club captain, Andre.
Some will criticise Martinez for his actions throughout the penalty shoot-out, having shushed the Lille fans after the first save and then celebrating in front of them after the victory.
However, the ‘keeper was hounded all night by the Lille fans and was finally able to release so much emotion and adrenaline, that hardly anyone can blame him.
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