Aston Villa’s dramatic journey in the Europa Conference League continued on Thursday as they edged past Lille in a penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals. The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Lille erasing Villa’s first-leg advantage before a late Matty Cash goal forced the tie into extra time.
In a hostile atmosphere, Lille started strongly and quickly leveled the aggregate score through Yusuf Yazici. Benjamin Andre’s header midway through the second half put Lille in the ascendancy, but Villa refused to give up. With just three minutes remaining, Cash capitalized on a defensive error to equalize and send the match into extra time.
The additional 30 minutes failed to produce a winner, setting the stage for a tense penalty shootout. Emiliano Martinez, who had been subjected to relentless booing throughout the game, emerged as the hero for Villa. The Argentine goalkeeper saved spot-kicks from Nabil Bentaleb and Andre, securing a 4-3 victory in the shootout.
Villa manager Unai Emery praised Martinez’s leadership and mentality, saying, “He is very important for us. 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.”
The victory sets up a semi-final clash with Olympiakos for Villa, who are aiming to win their first European trophy since 1982. Last season’s runners-up Fiorentina also advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-0 extra-time win over Viktoria Plzen, while Club Brugge eased through with a 2-0 victory over Aris Thessaloniki.
