Yahoo News Unai Emery ranks Emi Martinez after Aston Villa penalty heroics in Lille
Unai Emery insists Emi Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world after he saved two penalties in the shoot-out against Lille to guide Aston Villa into the Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night.
After Youri Tielemans scored the first spot-kick of the shoot-out, Martinez saved Nabil Bentaleb’s effort, before Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash both scored for Villa. After Leon Bailey missed, the score was locked at 3-3 before Douglas Luiz buried his penalty.
It piled the pressure on Benjamin Andre, who had to score to take the shoot-out to sudden death. But Martinez would spare his teammates of more anguish from 12 yards as he leapt to his left to deny the Lille skipper.
READ | What UEFA have said about Emi Martinez Aston Villa suspension for Conference League semi-final
READ | The 17 minutes of Lille vs Aston Villa chaos - every Emi Martinez antic, arguments and confusion
Asked if he is the best ‘keeper in the world, Emery said: “To tell something about that is when he is being successful individually and collectively with his club at Aston Villa and with his national team.
“He is being successful with Argentina, he is progressively getting better with Aston Villa. He is saving a lot of matches as a goalkeeper - of course, he is one of the best. The first, second, third? For me, he is the best.”
After being harshly cautioned in the first half for time-wasting, even though Villa were behind on the night, Martinez was then booked again in the penalty shoot-out after saving Bentaleb’s penalty. He goaded the Lille fans behind the goal and duly received a booking.
Emery admitted that he, like almost everyone else in the stadium apart from the referee, thought that Martinez was about to be sent down the tunnel after his second booking. But this was not the case as yellow cards do not carry over into a shoot-out after extra time.
‘Yes, I didn’t know this rule,” Emery said. “Quickly, they told me about this rule and now, of course it is very important for us. It was strange because it is not a normal situation.”
Martinez will be suspended for Villa’s Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiacos at Villa Park on Thursday, May 2.
