More than a post on and Martinez eats all your dead!!! » The message published Thursday evening is the work of Ludovic Obraniakthe former Lille midfielder, who visibly needed to express himself after the cruel elimination of the Mastiffs on penalties against Aston Villa, in the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League (2-1, 4-3 on penalties ).
Paulo Fonseca’s men nevertheless managed to make up for their outlay from the first leg (1-2 in Birmingham). But Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez has resumed his big bad outfit, like Darth Vader or Dr. Robotnik of French football. The goalkeeper who disgusted Randal Kolo Muani during the 2022 World Cup final, before, during the penalty shootout, repelling Kingsley Coman’s attempt then causing Aurélien Tchouameni to fail, has struck again.
Already enormous a week earlier during the quarter-final first leg, this time he deflected, each time relaxing to his left, the strikes of Nabil Bentaleb, after having well distracted the Algerian at the penalty spot, then that of Benjamin Andrew.
Two yellow cards but no expulsion
And, as this man is extraordinary, he managed to take a second yellow card (after a first for saving time in the 39th minute) without being sent off. The second warning was in fact sent to him after having upset the public of Pierre-Mauroy – who jeered at him throughout the meeting – following his stop in front of Bentaleb. As the penalty shootout was not part of normal time, there was no red card, as Olivier Létang admitted to having believed.
Proud of his team, the president of Losc did not digest Martinez’s attitude, even if he said it in more chosen words than Obraniak. “I don’t want us to spend time talking about this boy who has an attitude that is not that of a very high level athlete,” he said. In high-level sport, in victory or defeat, you must remain calm and elegant. »
Not really the first two qualifiers that come to mind when we think of a goalkeeper capable of transforming his trophy for best goalkeeper of the 2022 World Cup into a virile hairpiece attribute.
Fonseca, for his part, insisted on the enormous sporting qualities of the Villans goalkeeper, surprising 4th in the Premier League and now semi-finalists of the C4. “Lille deserved to pass,” said the Portuguese coach of Losc on Canal+. The difference is the goalkeeper. He saved a lot of chances in the first leg, and there, he was the savior during the penalties. »
“I like the French”
Not nice for his counterpart Lucas Chevalier. The young Northerner, however, had a big match (and a shot on goal, that of Leon Bailey), even if he released the ball following the action of the reduction of the score of Matty Cash (87th), which allowed the club of Unai Emery to snatch extension, then qualification.
And Martinez in all this, what does he say? “At Arsenal then at Aston Villa, I played with French people, they are good people,” he said on Canal+ after his exploits. I like the French but I know that when I play big matches against them I will be whistled. I’m just focused on my club, my country and I just want to perform well with Aston Villa. » Thank you, goodbye and see you next time.