By By Sky Sports
Emi Martinez saved Lille’s first penalty before receiving his second yellow card of the night; there was confusion when he stayed on the pitch rather than being sent off; Aston Villa goalkeeper then saved the decisive spot-kick to send his side into the semi-finals
Villa won the game on penalties after Lille beat them 2-1 in the second leg to bring the aggregate score to 3-3 at the end of extra-time.
Martinez, who had initially been cautioned in the 39th minute, looked set to receive his marching orders during the shoot-out when referee Ivan Kruzliak brandished a second yellow card for his gamesmanship.
But the Villa goalkeeper was allowed to stay on the pitch, causing confusion around the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, before saving the decisive penalty.
However, UEFA’s disciplinary board is likely to determine whether Martinez will be suspended for the first leg of their semi-final against Olympiakos on Thursday May 2.
Clarity is being sought about the complex situation and whether he faces further punishment, due to the unusual circumstances of his two bookings which took the number of yellows Martinez has received in this season’s tournament to three.
Three accumulated bookings would usually result in a one-match ban for the following game and both separate cautions for Martinez will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
One factor that will give Villa hope is that yellow cards expire after the quarter-finals and are not carried forward into the semi-finals, but UEFA is looking into the matter.
The official was simply following the laws of the game, with IFAB rule 10.3 stipulating that bookings are not carried through to penalties.
The rule states: “Yellow cards and warnings from the game are not carried forward into penalties but a player who was shown a red card during the game cannot take part.
“Players, substitutes, substituted players and team officials can get a red or yellow card during penalties.”
If Martinez had been sent off during the shoot-out, another player who finished the match would have had to act as the goalkeeper.
