Emiliano Martínez
did it again. The Argentine goalkeeper once again frustrated the French fans. After his saves in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar,
Draw
qualified
Aston Villa
for the semifinals of the
Conference League
and outraged
Lille
, who reproached him for his attitude in the penalty shootout.
Martínez saved shots from
Nabil Bentaleb
and Lille captain
Benjamin Andre
as Aston Villa ended up winning the shootout 4-3.
Before that, Lille had won 2-1, by the same result that Aston Villa had won in the first leg in England. The Birmingham team scored in the return in the 87th minute, with a goal from Matty Cash that allowed them to force extra time.
Seconds after Aston Villa made history against Lille, a French reporter drew a dramatic parallel with the World Cup final in Qatar 2022 and it went viral on social networks.
How to say "Siamo fuori della copa" in French: pic.twitter.com/NYI3LcqEdv
— El Tano 🤌🏽 (@ElItalianoFB) April 18, 2024
After the goalkeeper's undisputed prominence in the penalty shootout, the journalist in question was quick to compare the situation with the unforgettable sequence that took place at the Lusail stadium, where the Argentine also excelled against France between the three sticks.
Shortly after noticing that Dibu had avoided the fifth penalty and, consequently, eliminated the French team, the desolation was total. "There is a whistle, no, no. It is terrible to see that scene again, that dance by Emiliano Martínez. The cold shower is horrible, terrible and monumental for Lille," he said in a dramatic tone.
After the match, Lille president Olivier Letang especially criticized Emiliano Martínez's attitude in the shootout for his provocations and gestures.
"I don't want to spend time talking about that boy, who has an attitude that is not that of a high-level athlete because in high-level sport, in victory or defeat, you have to be calm and elegant," he said. Letang.
The albiceleste goalkeeper tried to unfocus Bentaleb before stopping his shot and then headed towards the Lille ultras to ask them for silence.
"Martinez likes to lose concentration, as we saw in the first penalty kick, where he runs to get the ball," commented Lille's Canadian attacker,
Jonathan David
, who will surely meet the goalkeeper again in his team's debut. selection in the
Copa América
. "Normally he has to go only to his goal. For him, that is a tactical game," he said.
Emiliano Martínez was accused of lack of sportsmanship in victory after the 2022 World Cup, in which Argentina won the final against France. And in the run-up to the duel against Lille, in his first game on French soil after the third Argentine star, the fans and the local media attacked him ruthlessly. "The most hated Argentine," they called him on a sports portal.
Aston Villa's coach,
Unai Emery
, applauded his player. "Emiliano is very important for us. He has personality and weight in the locker room. He is a leader every day, with a formidable attitude. When he plays he also has his personality. During the penalty shootout he was formidable. I am very proud of him. I believe in I know he is mature and responsible. I accept him as he is. I always control him," said the Spanish coach.
In the next stage of the competition, Aston Villa will face Olympiacos, a rival that qualified for the semifinals after beating Fenerbahçe of Turkey in the quarterfinals. The first leg semi-final will be played on May 2 in England while the second leg will take place on the 9th of the same month in Greece.
With information from Agencies