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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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:
KICK
KICK-OFF! We’re underway in northern France. Martinez seems to be getting booed, and commentators seem to believe it’s due to his antics in the 2022 World Cup final!
A reminder that Cash, Luis, McGinn and Tielemans are all one yellow card away from suspension (if they do make it to the semi-finals).
Lille vs Aston Villa LIVE
The teams are out of the tunnel and the Stade Pierre-Mauroy is very up for this. Flags and banners aplenty as the competition anthem is played.
We’re moments from kick-off as the captains meet for the coin toss.
Lille vs Aston Villa
Lille won Ligue 1 as recently as 2020/21, but their European success has been limited to an Intertoto Cup win in 2004.
Villa haven’t won England’s top league trophy since winning the old Division One in 1980/81. They went even better the next season, winning the European Cup in 1982 after beating Bayern Munich in the final.
That year was the last time Villa reached a European semi-final.
Will it be another big performance from the men below?
Head-to-head and how the teams are faring
These two sides had only met on two occasions before this season. Those were in July and August 2002, in the Intertoto Cup – a UEFA summer tournament that was abolished in 2008. The first match ended in a draw, with the second was a 2-0 win for the French side.
Back in the present, both teams sit fourth in their respective leagues as they aim to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Lille come off the back of two wins, two draws and a loss (to Villa) in their last five games, while the away side enter the game having beaten Premier League title chasers Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates.
Before that match, Villa had lost 4-1 to Man City, drawn 3-3 at Brentford and beaten Wolves 2-0.
On this day in 2016: Aston Villa relegated from Premier League
Aston Villa have certainly come a long way since 2016, when they finished bottom of the Premier League with just 17 points.
On that day, Marcus Rashford’s 32nd-minute goal condemned Villa to the second tier of English football for the first time in 28 years.
Today, they are on the brink of a first European semi-final since ____ thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn.
And in stark contrast to 2016, the Villans sit fourth in the Premier League table as they battle Spurs for a place in the top four and next season’s Champions League.
On this day in 2016: Aston Villa relegated from Premier League
Villa finished bottom with only 17 points.
Why Premier League is now at risk of missing out on fifth Champions League spot
As Villa are vying for a place in next season’s Champions League, last night’s results will have dealt a blow to the Villans’ hopes.
The Champions League is being expanded to a 36-team tournament from 2024/25 and two of the extra four places will be awarded to countries whose teams perform best in this season’s European competitions.
As confirmed by Uefa on their website, England currently sits third in the race, behind Italy and Germany, which would mean Serie A and the Bundesliga receive a fifth Champions League place next season.
Quarter-final defeats for Manchester City against Real Madrid and Arsenal to Bayern Munich means there is now a real chance that England’s coefficient will not be high enough to claim one of the two extra spots.
Why Premier League is now at risk of missing out on fifth Champions League spot
It was a ‘painful’ night for English clubs in the Champions League as Manchester City and Arsenal crashed out of Europe
Prediction
Aston Villa to hold firm to reach the semi-finals and face either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce.
Lille 1-1 Aston Villa (2-3 agg.)
Team news
For Lille – who didn’t have a game at the weekend – it is just one change from the side that last 2-1 at Villa Park.
Yusuf Yazici comes in for Edon Zhegrova in right midfield. Winger Adam Ounas comes onto the bench, with Zhegrova out of the squad.
Team news
LILLE XI: Chevalier; Santos, Yoro, Diakite, Ismaily; Andre, Bentaleb; Yazici, Haraldsson, Gudmundsson; David.
SUBS: Mannone, Negrel, Alexsandro, Toure, Gomes, Bouaddi, Cabella, Ounas, Cavaleiro, Morais, Ferrah.
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