by From the moment Emiliano Martínez was booked for 39 minutes wasted in this Europa League winner, it looked like the Aston Villa goalkeeper was going to be a hero. So it proved, with Martínez saving penalties from Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin André in a shootout after Matty Cash’s late strike prevented Lille from going ahead and sent the game to extra time.
That, however, is only half the story. Martínez seemed intent on being the pantomime villain, every contact he had in succession, the referee, Ivan Kruzliak, warned him again during the on-site preliminaries after being cautioned for a final – another dollop of shithousery, you might say – but it was avoided. was sent off, leaving Villa without a goalkeeper, because warnings are not brought forward in penalties.
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Unai Emery’s team is in the semi-finals of a major European competition for the first time since 1982. Before the shoot, Emery was crying frantically. Who, really, was he kidding? As Martínez walked around his box with the ball at his feet with 118 minutes gone, he managed to remove the home support for the umpteenth time, it was almost as if he was playing penalties. Martínez, without a doubt, supports himself and his antics here again paid dividends.
Until Matty Cash’s deflected strike nestled into the top corner on 87 minutes, courtesy of a Lille defender, Villa were going out in normal time. In truth, they could have complained little. But Lucas Digne, who started his career at Lille, curled a high ball in from the left and goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, under pressure from Villa substitute Jhon Durán, pounced on him as he tried to claim the cross. Bentaleb, the former Tottenham midfielder who was otherwise neat at the bottom of the pitch, collided with Chevalier in his desperation to clear the danger and Digne let slip when the ball fell to him outside the box.
Lille have been imperious at home for some time – they came into this game 15 unbeaten but before winning against Reims here in September they went 22 unbeaten – and on the night Villa remained in a fierce atmosphere. Lille have not played since defeat at Villa Park after the French professional football league (LFP) was given permission to postpone their Ligue 1 match against Monaco, scheduled for last weekend, and their exuberance showed with their side Emery working for long periods. The governing body made it clear that “progressing French clubs in the European Cup is an absolute priority” but it ultimately came to nothing.
Villa achieved arguably their biggest result of the season, a stunning win at Arsenal, but they were nowhere near repeating that performance. It was 11 minutes into the second half when Cash, one of Villa’s two substitutes, had his first legitimate effort on goal, crashing a shot against the sideline after a goal from John McGinn. Cash tried his luck nearing full time and a few minutes later he hit the jackpot.
For Villa, it was a frustrating evening for a long time, although they were also guilty of inviting pressure. When Martínez, making his first appearance for France since winning against them to lift the World Cup with Argentina, was first sent off, Villa went on to Yusuf Yazici’s stunning first strike. Highly-rated 18-year-old Leny Yoro pinged a diagonal pass out to the left, where Gabriel Gudmundsson caught the ball under his spell with his first touch before sending a low cross into the box that Yazici ran onto, shot sent arrowed into the corner.
Youri Tielemans’ careless touch allowed Hakon Arnar Haraldsson to take the lead 24 seconds into the second half and Lille captain André doubled their lead on 67 minutes. Lille showed their displeasure at Villa’s use of the dark arts at set pieces in the back but here it was the hosts who gave away a corner, André glancing in at the front post.
Even McGinn, one of Villa’s most consistent performers, suffered an off day and rather than captaining Villa, it was hard to be too surprised when Duran came on to replace him with a regular 10 minutes of playing time. There were signs of an anemic display at a few stages; Douglas Luiz, suspended for the trip to Arsenal, sent a free-kick near half-time sailing into Chevalier’s gloves. Digne, who scored the first European goal at this stadium in 2012, did the same.
“We have time,” Bailey repeatedly told his teammates, moving towards the big screens at both ends after replacing the ineffective Moussa Diaby with 68 minutes on the clock. Bailey greeted him with urgency and his words were true. Cash leveled and stirred Villa. Bailey tested Chevalier with a curling shot in the 100th minute but the next thing was remarkable, the Lille goalkeeper making an extraordinary save on the right to prevent Douglas Luiz from pouncing on the rebound. Douglas Luiz pulled his white shirt over his face in disbelief but the drama was just beginning.
