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Emiliano Martinez: Why Aston Villa keeper wasn’t sent off after two yellow cards vs Lille in UECL

mynigeria.com 2024/5/2

Aston Villa keeper, Emiliano Martinez
Aston Villa keeper, Emiliano Martinez

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.

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.

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.

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