Rival chief slams Villa keeper's attitude after savage crowd act in ...

Aston Villa kept their bid for a first European trophy in over 40 years alive after beating Lille 4-3 on penalties following Matty Cash’s late goal that forced extra time.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved from Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin Andre in the shootout to send Villa through after being whistled loudly by a crowd irked by his celebrations after his starring role in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup final win over France.

There was a strange moment during the shootout when he was shown a second yellow card for more antics, but rules dictate that any bookings are reset before penalties commence.

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“It’s been a hell of a ride all my career. I’m always a believer and a hard worker. It was my destiny to win here again,” Martinez told TNT Sports post-game.

“I’ve just got a bad reputation for time-wasting because the other goalkeeper was doing exactly the same thing.

“I get booked after 30 minutes and we’re losing the game so I don’t know what the referee wanted for me. In the shootout, there was no ball on the penalty spot and I was asking for a ball from the ball boy... and then I get booked.

“I just don’t understand the rules. I know my team-mates need me and I own my box. I just used all my experience.”

Lille president Olivier Letang though said Martinez’s attitude was not befitting a player of his calibre.

“I don’t want to take up time talking about this lad who has an attitude that isn’t that of a very high level athlete,” said Letang.

“In victory or defeat, you have to stay calm and gracious, so I prefer to focus on ourselves and that we bring out the positive aspects.”

Jonathan David, one of the three Lille players to convert their spot-kicks, said he tried to pay no notice to Martinez’s antics.

“Martinez likes to distract, like we saw with the first penalty, where he runs to go get the ball,” said the Canada forward.

“Normally, he should just go to his goal. For him it’s a tactical game. For me, it’s like a penalty I take in the game. I had my mind made up and I stayed focused on that.”

Unai Emery’s side won the first leg 2-1 last week, but Lille drew level in the tie when Yusuf Yazici steered home 15 minutes into the return clash in northern France.

Lille captain Andre glanced in a corner midway through the second half to leave the Ligue 1 club heading towards their first major European semi-final, but a defensive mishap in the closing minutes proved costly.

Cash hammered the ball home to bring Villa even at 3-3 on aggregate with three minutes left after Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier spilled a looping cross following a collision with team-mate Bentaleb.

Chevalier redeemed himself with a sensational save from Douglas Luiz in extra time, reacting sharply to scoop the Brazilian’s header over the crossbar after parrying a powerful shot from Leon Bailey.

But Martinez had the final say in the shootout after Chevalier saved Bailey’s attempt, with Villa moving on to face Olympiakos or Fenerbahce in the last four.

Last season’s runners-up Fiorentina sealed a return to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over 10-man Viktoria Plzen after extra time.

Cadu was sent off in the second half for a foul on the edge of the Plzen box and Fiorentina made the extra man count when Nico Gonzalez struck in the 92nd minute.

Skipper Cristiano Biraghi added a second on 108 minutes as the Italians progressed 2-0 on aggregate.