Emi Martinez vs Lille [1296x729]
Emi Martinez vs Lille [1296x729] (Credit: Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

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Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is to miss the first leg of his team's UEFA Conference League (UECL) semifinal against Olympiacos after receiving a yellow card in their penalty shootout victory against Lille on Thursday.

Martínez had already been issued a yellow card by referee for time-wasting during the quarterfinal clash before his antics in the shooutout earned him a second yellow, but was allowed to continue as cautions do not carry over into penalties, as laid out by the International Football Association Board's Laws of the Game.

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While he was not removed from the game, UECL regulations state that a one-game ban is the punishment if a player or team official gets "three cautions which did not result in a red card."

Martínez was shown a yellow card in Villa's first-leg win over Lille as well as the two in the game and shootout on Thursday.

Martínez had been booed throughout the contest by Lille fans as a result of his actions that made him the center of attention in the 2022 World Cup final shootout, where his Argentina team defeated France.

Martínez saved penalties from Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin André to secure Villa's spot in the last eight of the UECL.

Villa full-back Lucas Digne, who is French, defended Martinez's behaviour which saw him dancing, shushing the home crowd and repeatedly trying to put off Lille's penalty takers.

"He has a reputation, he knows how to deal with it, the truth is that he managed it well," Digne said after Thursday's game.

"I also understand the French side because I was there during the World Cup. But he's a good person and when you know him, he's a really good guy."