Lille vs Aston Villa LIVE: Europa Conference League result and reaction after Villa win on penalties
The Europa Conference League quarter-final is still up for grabs after a tight first-leg last week
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Your support makes all the difference.Emiliano Martinez was the unsurprising star of a dramatic penalty shootout as Aston Villa edged past Lille and into the semi-final of the Europa Conference League.
The Argentina goalkeeper, who helped his country win the World Cup 18 months ago, produced some similar heroics in France, saving spot-kicks from Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin Andre to earn a 4-3 shootout win after the quarter-final had ended 3-3 on aggregate after two legs.
There was plenty of his trademark dark arts on show as he shushed the baiting French crowd, who had not forgotten what happened in Qatar, and then caused confusion by receiving a yellow card from the referee in the middle of the shootout, having already been booked in normal time.
But bookings are not carried forward into the shootout meaning he could stay on and send Villa into a first European semi-final since 1982. Follow all the reaction below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
65 mins: Lille keeping possession once more. There’s been a strangely high number of occasions on which no one seems to be making the run / wanting to make the key pass.
Lille win a corner after Cash turns behind another cross.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
63 mins: Villa manage to sail the wave of Lille pressure, after Martinez collects a corner. The away side have a free-kick on halfway now, but almost straight away they concede possession as McGinn fouls Bentaleb near the Lille box.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
60 mins: Lille turning the screw now. A couple of crosses have been cleared well by Villa already, but Lille recycle once more and the attack continues until Digne brings down Santos. The Villa fullback is booked for his efforts.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
59 mins: Gudmundsson gets away down the left but he can’t create anything. Lille recycle and Gudmundsson gets to Santos’ cross, but no one can meet it in the middle of the box.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
57 mins: Lille attack once more and get a decent opportunity in the Villa box, but the cross is cleared behind. More attacking from both teams, at least.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
55 mins: Not a lot happening at the minute, with little breaks in play whenever Martinez has the ball. Lille refuse to be baited into pressing.
Villa do get an opportunity though as McGinn gets into the box and flicks a back-heel to Matty Cash. He hits a decent shot but it flies against the side netting.
53 mins: Lille’s turn to threaten as David tries to find Haraldsson, but he was offside. Just before, Haraldsson had ventured into the box, but had his cross blocked.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
50 mins: Cash does well to win a free-kick in defence and Villa have some respite. Digne gets in down the left, but his cross is taken easily by Chevalier.
Lille 1-0 Aston Villa
49 mins: The second half begins much like the first, with both teams struggling to make their mark. Lille are still dominating possession though.
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