It wouldn't be a penalty shootout involving Emi Martinez without a helpful sprinkling of controversy and incredulity at the Argentinean's antics.
Martinez was between the sticks for Aston Villa on Thursday night, as they clung on for spot kicks after a hugely impressive Lille performance saw them fight back from the one-goal deficit of the first leg.
A place in the Europa Conference League semi-finals was at stake - and most football fans would agree that the king of shithousery himself is someone you would want in goals for you in such a scenario. Martinez already had the home crowd riled up, with the Lille supporters booing his every touch - no doubt linked to his infamous antics during the 2022 World Cup final.
Martinez toed the line, however, pushing his luck with referee Ivan Kruzliak.
In classic fashion, Martinez goaded both the penalty takers and the home fans, in an attempt to put off his opponents (which he did successfully, saving two pens in Villa's ultimate victory). His antics earned him a yellow card from Kruzliak - but, seeing as he had been cautioned for time wasting during the game (while Villa were trailing), many fans were confused as to how he was allowed to continue in goals.
Emi Martinez silences the Lille fans by saving the first penalty 🧤
Then looks to get a second yellow from the referee?! 🤯
But doesn't get sent off 😬#UECL
📺 @TNTSports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/qU76fw9AGs— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 18, 2024
Hilariously, even the TNT Sport commentators couldn't seem to figure out why Martinez was not dismissed for his second yellow card.
It was had an obscure rule in the IFAB football rulebook that Martinez had to thank - and, by extension, he may be able to trace his good fortune back to a controversial incident involving the Republic of Ireland U17s in 2018.
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Emi Martinez incident evokes controversial 2018 Ireland U17s defeat
Law 10 in the IFAB rulebook reads, "Warnings and cautions (YCs) issued during the match (including during extra time) are not carried forward into kicks from the penalty mark (KFPM). A player who receives a YC during both the match and the KFPM is not sent off."
The above amendment to the law was only introduced in 2020 after controversial incidents saw goalkeepers bizarrely sent off during shootouts.
One of the most notable came in the 2018 UEFA European U-17 Championships, in which Ireland goalkeeper Jimmy Corcoran was sent off midway through the quarter-final shootout against the Netherlands.
After being judged (extremely harshly) to have come off his line to save Daishawn Redan's penalty, Corcoran was shown a second yellow by the referee and centre-back Oisin McEntee was forced to go in goal (mid-shootout substitutions are not permitted).
Jimmy Corcoran was given a second yellow & sent off for Ireland U17 in the U17 Euros QFs back in 2018 after getting booked for *allegedly* coming off his line in the shootout after being booked during the game. A reason the rule change was made. https://t.co/yjUAcb2fiB pic.twitter.com/l2fzukOaRc
— Matty (@_MattyTurnbull) April 18, 2024
The law states that goalkeepers who come off their line more than once during a shootout will be shown a yellow card. The IFAB rule change was largely brought in to avoid a scenario in which a goalkeeper could be sent off for such an offence combined with a regular-time yellow card - no doubt influenced by Corcoran's contentious dismissal in 2018.
Of course, someone as cunning as Emi Martinez will no doubt have been aware of the law going into the shootout, knowing how carefully to push his luck with the match officials.
Speaking after the game, Martinez chose to ignore the antics during the shootout and focus instead on the yellow card he picked up for alleged time-wasting during the game:
I just have a bad reputation for time-wasting because the other goalie was doing exactly the same thing. I get booked after 30 minutes, and we’re losing the game, so I don’t know what the ref wants from me. There was no ball on the penalty spot, and I’m asking for a ball from a ball boy and then I get booked. I don’t understand the rules.
Aston Villa go on to face Olympiacos in the Conference League semi-finals, with Fiorentina taking on Club Brugge in the other last four tie.
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