Emiliano Martinez: Why Aston Vila Goalie Wasn’t Sent Off After 2 Yellow Cards vs Lille in UECL

Emiliano Martinez: Why Aston Vila Goalie Wasn’t Sent Off After 2 Yellow Cards vs Lille in UECL

Elijah Odetokun
updated at April 20, 2024 at 8:51 AM
In this article:
Emiliano Martínez logo
E. Martínez
Aston Villa logoGArgentina logo
UEFA Europa Conference League logo
UEFA ECL
Europe
Aston Villa logo
Aston Villa
England
40
Lille logo
Lille
France
37
  • Aston Villa have reached the UEFA Conference League semi-final after beating Lille
  • The English team defeated the French after Emiliano Martinez saved two penalties
  • The Argentina goalkeeper received two yellow cards but was not shown a red card

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Football fans have been left confused after Aston Villa goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, was not sent off despite receiving two yellow cards against LOSC Lille.

The French side won the game 2-1, tying their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final 3-3 on aggregate and requiring a penalty shootout to settle matters.

Emiliano Martinez, Aston Villa, Lille, UEFA Europa Conference League.
Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez received two yellow cards in the Conference League quarter-final against Lille on April 18 but was not sent off. Photo by Alex Pantling.
Source: Getty Images

The goalkeeper was playing in France for the first time since helping Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar at the expense of the French national team.

Why Martinez was not red-carded

Martinez ensured a difficult afternoon throughout the game as the French continued to show displeasure to the world champions for his role in helping his country win the Mundial.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper received a yellow card in the 39th minute for time wasting and a second for shushing the crowd after saving Nabil Bentaleb's penalty in the shootout - but was not sent off.

According to IFAB, yellow cards and warnings from the game are not carried forward into penalties, but a player who is shown a red card during the game cannot take part.

The incident further angered the French fans, who continued booing the Argentine, but he was unfazed and saved two penalties to help Villa reach the semi-final.

As spotted by EuroFoot, 'Dibu' repeated his dance from the 2022 World Cup final to quieten the crowd who had given him hell throughout the tense Conference League match.

In the semi-final, Unai Emery's men will face the winner of the encounter between Greek side, Olympiacos and Turkish giants, Fenerbahce.

Lille fans attempt to confront Martinez

Sports Brief also reported on an incident from the same UECL game, with Lille fans attempting to confront Martinez during the quarter-final second-leg tie.

The Argentine shot-stopper made an enemy of French football fans for his role in beating Les Bleus in the 2022 World Cup final and his provocative actions.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.