Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez appeared to be sent off during his side’s penalty shootout against Lille – only to remain on the pitch due to a little-known rule before helping his side to victory.
The Argentina goalkeeper, who was booed by Lille fans after his antics in the World Cup final shootout against France, was warned by Slovakian referee Ivan Kruzliak before he was shown a second yellow card.
A bizarre rule, however, meant he was allowed to remain on the pitch for the rest of the shootout and was the hero once again as he guided Villa into the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Having saved from Nabil Bentaleb early on, Martinez put his finger to his lips to quieten the home fans, only for Leon Bailey to miss for Villa to level proceedings.
Martinez was then shown a second yellow card of the game by Kruzliak, seemingly for not getting into position as Ollie Watkins waited to take his spot kick with a ball absent, and Villa fans were temporarily left with their hearts in their mouths.
Emiliano Martinez was spared a red card due to a little-known rule during Aston Villa’s penalty shootout win over Lille
He was shown a yellow card by Slovakian referee Ivan Kruzliak in the penalty shootout but remained on the pitch
He recovered to save Benjamin Andre’s penalty to send Villa into the last four of the Conference League
Following his extravagant celebrations after saving from Bentaleb, Martinez was warned to calm down by the referee and seemed to accept the orders.
As the players awaited a ball before Watkins’ kick, however, Martinez looked to the crowd and appeared shocked when Kruzliak approached him again to show him his second yellow card of the match.
He was shown a yellow after just 38 minutes for apparent time wasting, with the referee suggesting that he had done so multiple times already in the game.
Villa captain Douglas Luiz dashed from the halfway line to protest the call when he was shown a second yellow by the referee, only to be told that his goalkeeper would be able to remain on the field.
The reason was because of a little-known rule, which states that all bookings are reset before shootouts, meaning Martinez was booked twice but shown no red card.
Martinez was again warned of his behaviour afterwards but kept his cool for the rest of the shootout to help his side into the last four.
‘It’s all about reputation because the other goalie was doing exactly the same thing (time wasting in normal play),’ said Martinez. ‘I got a yellow after 30 minutes and we were losing the game so I don’t know what the ref wants from me.
‘Then there was no ball on the penalty spot during the shoot out. I was asking for a ball from the ball boy and I get booked. I just don’t understand the rules.’
The 31-year-old was the centre of attention in the game already, having wound up French fans when starring for Argentina during their victory on penalties in the World Cup final.
He took pleasure in winding up the home faithful, also performing his signature dance when he denied Benjamin Andre to give Villa the win.
He was punished for taunting the home fans having become public enemy No 1 with French supporters
The Argentina goalkeeper protested his innocence but was informed he would remain on the pitch
He recovered well to help his side to victory, saving two penalties overall including the decisive kick
Fans reveled in the goalkeeper’s antics, taking to social media to almost thank him for the entertainment.
‘Emi Martinez is blockbuster entertainment in penalty shootouts,’ one fan posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Another wrote: ‘Emi Martinez is the only Goalkeeper in the world who could get 2 yellow cards in 1 game and save 2 penalties in a penalty shootout. 1 of a kind.’
A third, meanwhile, posted: ‘The biggest owner of France in world history: Emiliano Martinez.’
The Aston Villa man was booed throughout the game by the home fans, but had the last laugh by helping his side win the game and mocking the home supporters.
Martinez had made enemies with French supporters for his antics in the World Cup final penalty shootout
Fans reveled in Martinez’ antics on social media after the 41-year-old provided entertainment again in a shootout
He made enemies in 2022 during the final shootout in Qatar, which saw him save both missed France penalties after employing some dark arts tactics by repeatedly grabbing the ball after spot kicks to time waste.
Both Aurelien Tchouameni and Kingsley Coman saw their kicks saved by Martinez, who made a strong effort to make his celebrations known upon producing the stops.
He then won the golden glove in the post-game presentation, and angered fans with an X-rated gesture.
Rules were changed following the final to ensure goalkeepers could not distract the kicker.
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