Emi Martinez saves Aston Villa as goal-line technology reveals Juventus heroics
Emiliano Martinez proved to be the hero of the hour after his save prevented Aston Villa from going 1-0 down against Juventus.
The Villa goalkeeper somehow kept out a far-post Francisco Conceicao header which looked destined for the bottom corner, clawing the ball out of the goalmouth to keep things scoreless in their 0-0 draw.
The BBC posted on X (27 November) to show just how close Conceicao’s effort was to crossing the line, and had Martinez been a fraction of a second later, Unai Emery’s side may have suffered back-to-back Champions League defeats.
Emi Martinez a hero for Aston Villa v Juventus
Although Villa failed to get back to winning ways in the Champions League, holding Juventus to a draw in spectacular fashion thanks to Martinez has staked his claim as one of the world’s leading goalkeepers.
Martinez made two saves in total to prevent 0.36 expected goals on target (xGOT – FotMob), the majority of which came via the Conceicao header he somehow kept at bay.
The Argentine was hit-and-miss with the ball at his feet, completing 93 per cent of his overall passes but just one of three attempted long balls [FotMob], acting as a sweeper on one occasion.
Commanding his box with dominance as ever, Martinez made five ball recoveries in total, with one claim from a high ball and a further three throws out of his box as Villa kick-started their attacks from deep.
A total of 35 touches displayed just how involved Martinez can be in build-up play, but having made the key difference at his far post 25 minutes from time, Emery knows he’s got a world-class goalkeeper at his disposal.
In other Aston Villa news, a BBC pundit was stunned by what ‘extraordinary’ Ollie Watkins did against Juventus.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp channelfor instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.