- Martinez makes two penalty shootout saves
- Was shown a second yellow during the shootout
- Not sent off thanks to special shootout rule
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.
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez received two yellow cards in the Conference League quarter-final against Lille on April 18.
A rule, however, allowed him to stay on the pitch for the remainder of the shootout, where he once again emerged as the hero.
What happened?
Martinez saved Lille’s first penalty taken by Nabil Bentaleb and immediately mockingly turned to the fans. Then, while standing off to the side watching Ollie Watkins prepare to take a spot-kick, he appeared to motion to fans, and his actions saw referee Ivan Kruzliak show him a yellow card, his second of the night after he was shown one in the first half for time wasting. Despite the second booking, Martinez was allowed to stay on as he saved another penalty to lead Unai Emery’s side to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
The Explanation
The official was simply following the laws of the game, with the International Football Association Board (IFAB) — football’s lawmakers — stating under law 10.3 that “warnings and cautions issued to players and team officials during the match are not carried forward into penalties (penalty shoot-out)”.
They added: “A player who was shown a red card during the game cannot take part. Players, substitutes, substituted players, and team officials can get a red or yellow card during penalties.”
Martinez was therefore allowed to carry on as his initial booking was not carried over into the shootout.
However, Martinez will be suspended for the first leg of their semi-final against Olympiakos on Thursday, May 2.