Unai Emery hails Emiliano Martinez as the ‘BEST goalkeeper in the world’ after victory and antics against Lille, but admits he ‘thought the Argentine would be sent off’.
- Emiliano Martinez was the penalty hero for Aston Villa against Lille on Thursday
- He put the opposition and supporters to the test, collecting three yellow cards on the evening.
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Unai Emery has hailed Emi Martinez as the best goalkeeper in the world after his controversial performance in Aston Villa’s dramatic win over Lille.
Martinez had the last word against the Lille fans after pestering them all night, saving two penalties in the penalty shootout to set up a Europa Conference League semi-final clash with Olympiacos.
The Argentine star will miss this match after picking up three bookings in the quarter-final, including one in the shootout.
Emery defended him valiantly after the match at the Stade Pierre Mauroy and went even further on Friday, ahead of Villa’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Sunday.
Emery said: “He is successful individually and with Argentina and Villa. After enjoying success with Argentina, he gradually improved with Villa.
Emiliano Martinez was lured by Lille fans and loved every moment of it on Thursday
Martinez was again Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League penalty shootout hero
Unai Emery called his Aston Villa goalkeeper the best in the world after his performance
Martinez and Villa reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League
“He is decisive in many matches and of course he is one of the best goalkeepers. The first, the second, the third? For me he is the best.
The Villa boss also feared Martinez would be dismissed when he was booked during the shootout, having also received a yellow card for time wasting in the first half.
But Martinez escaped as yellow cards in penalty shootouts are not counted among those earned in general play – although Martinez will still miss the first leg against Olympiacos due to the three yellows he collected in of the draw.
Emery added: “Yes, I thought he would be kicked out. I didn’t know the rule. They quickly told me about it and now it’s very important for us. It was strange because it’s not a normal situation.
