STADE PIERRE-MAUROY — There were the saves, of course, and the shush that wreaked havoc, but amid the drama Aston Villa fans may well have missed a moment where Emiliano Martinez’s elite mentality came to the fore against Lille.
Seconds after saving the first penalty of the shootout, and seconds before receiving a second yellow card that did not lead to a red, Martinez strutted towards the side of the penalty area before looking towards his teammates on the halfway line.
With a fist pump, he nodded in their direction, his stance oozing confidence, instilling a belief that a shootout is no lottery when he’s in goal, and ultimately – just as it had done for Argentina in the World Cup final – it paid off.
“He is very important for us,” said Villa boss Unai Emery. “He has his personality and his personality in the dressing room is very important because he is a leader with his experiences. He has a really brilliant mentality.
“And then on the pitch he has his personality and he played fantastic. He saved two penalty shots so of course I am very proud of him. I am very proud of all the players.”
Martinez himself added: “I always say that all my career, I know my team needs me in those moments; they always do.
“Yesterday we watched Real Madrid-Man City and the manager said maybe we might go to penalties, so in my head, I own my box.
“This group of players and the manager is special. The owners are really involved as well. They are always behind us.
“It feels like we’re going to do something special. I don’t know if it’s the Champions League, or the Conference League, but we will try to do everything we can for this football club.”
Villa need Martinez’s swagger in moments like this. Ollie Watkins had bemoaned their lack of a “big-team mentality” earlier this month after the 3-3 draw with Brentford, but here was a big-game player thriving in the pressure cooker that was a ferocious Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Emi Martinez silences the Lille fans by saving the first penalty
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 18, 2024
Then looks to get a second yellow from the referee?!
But doesn't get sent off#UECL
@TNTSports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/qU76fw9AGs
Martinez had been Villa’s best player in the first leg of this Europa Conference League tie against Lille, and was undoubtedly their man of the match again.
Around him, Villa players were wilting, struggling to test Lille in a tie that soon turned in favour of the hosts, with a negative display from the outset outlined by Martinez’s first-half booking for time-wasting – and no shots recorded at all in the opening 45 minutes.
“I just have a bad reputation for time-wasting because the other goalie was doing exactly the same thing,” Martinez added.
“I get booked after 30 minutes, and we’re losing the game, so I don’t know what the ref wants from me.
Martinez, then, had already been winding up this crowd well before the shootout.
Villa may have been fortunate to get there, but then the Argentine did what he does best – ensuring that what many deem a 50-50 is even just a 51-49 whenever he’s involved.
It’s the small moments that matter, as we saw with his gamesmanship in the World Cup final shootout against France, and here he did it again; fetching the ball before the opposing penalty taker, getting a yellow for his antics, but then crucially making the saves that took Villa into a first European semi-final since 1982.
That nod may have been minor, but it spoke volumes, and should Villa get to Athens for the final, or indeed make the Champions League next season, they will need that elite mentality to not only continue but rub off on others.
Given the confidence of Martinez, a player Villa fans dub the “world number one”, that is perfectly possible.
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