Villa’s goalkeeper received a yellow card in the first half for delaying tactics as Unai Emery’s team sought to maintain their overall advantage. Later, during the penalty shootout, he was shown a second yellow card for his behavior during the kicks.
Contrary to expectations, he was allowed to remain on the field due to a recent rule change by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).
This change means that yellow cards accumulated during regular time do not carry over to penalty shootouts. Despite being listed with two yellow cards, the first one did not count for the penalties, allowing him to avoid a red card during the shootout. However, he is likely to face a suspension for one game due to accumulating two yellow cards in one match, which will affect the first leg of the semi-final.
Martinez defended himself after the game, claiming that his actions were misunderstood and that he was unfairly penalized due to his reputation for time-wasting.
The match ended in a 3-3 aggregate draw, with Aston Villa forcing extra time thanks to Matt Cash’s late goal after Lille had erased their first-leg lead.