They didn’t like him before tonight, and now they’ll truly despise him. The ‘most hated’ man in France has once again brought tears to the entire nation. Well, at least to its northern part…A year and a half after securing Argentina the World Cup title against France with his saves in the penalty shootout, Emiliano Martinez has saddened Lille in an identical manner. Aston Villa squandered a goal advantage from the first leg, facing elimination at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but a goal three minutes before the end forced extra time and penalties. And there, hardly anyone stands a chance against a team guarded by officially the best goalkeeper in the world—3-2 on penalties (1-2, 0-1), with the first leg ending 2-1.2 – For just a second time in the club’s history, Aston Villa have reached the semi finals of a major European competition, previously doing so in 1981-82, going on to win the European Cup that season. Specialist. pic.twitter.com/4Cp3Ha7jyo— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 18, 2024 Lille fans gave him a ‘warm’ welcome, booing every time he touched the ball, but it was in vain. They couldn’t unsettle him. The popular Dibu saved two penalties in the shootout and thus led his team to the semifinals, where they’ll face the winner of the Olympiacos – Fenerbahçe tie. In doing so, he also upheld the honor of English football, as Liverpool and West Ham, besides Villa, are the remaining European representatives, both of whom are chasing a deficit from the first leg.
Although Aston Villa fielded practically their strongest lineup at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, they were not even a shadow of the team that just three days ago, defeated Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates. It’s disheartening for the Birmingham team’s fans that their favorites didn’t manage to produce a single shot on goal against Lille for almost a full hour, even thou they are the fifth most prolific team in the Premier League. It wasn’t until the 56th minute that Matty Cash improved their stats with an inaccurate shot.Granted, Lille didn’t create clear-cut chances either, but they managed to keep their opponent away from their goal while capitalizing on every opportunity they got. The first chance turned into a goal just a quarter of an hour into the game when Yusuf Yazici converted a centre from Gabriel Gudmundsson with a well-placed shot. The French team extended their lead in the overall score midway through the second half when captain Benjamin André rose highest after a corner kick and, with the help of the far post, beat Emiliano Martinez. Villa tried to respond, but it wasn’t until the introduction of Leon Bailey that they showed signs of life, yet not enough to threaten the home team’s goal. Lille resisted without major difficulties, and it seemed they would repel Emery’s team’s fruitless attacks, and then… In an attempt to catch the ball after a cross, Lucas Chevalier collided with Nabil Bentaleb and dropped it, allowing Matty Cash, the standout player in the visiting team, to score into the unguarded net three minutes before the end.Although the stakes were high, neither team entered extra time tentatively, and it was Villa who looked closer to scoring again. However, 22-year-old Chevalier confirming his potential (he’s the captain of France’s U23 national team), made decisive saves in the 100th minute, denying attempts from Bailey and Douglas Luiz in a matter of seconds. The pace significantly slowed down in the second extra time, suggesting that the winner would be decided by penalties, although the hosts could have secured victory in the 114th minute when the ball hit Matty Cash’s hand after a scramble. However, the referee deemed it not worthy of a penalty kick.