disillusionment for Lille, eliminated by Aston Villa on penalties in the quarter-finals

Virtually qualified until the 87th minute, Losc was taken to overtime, then to penalties, where they gave in at the end of a cruel evening.

A memorable heartbreak for Pierre-Mauroy. Setting out to overthrow Aston Villa in the quarter-final second leg of the Europa Conference League, Losc collapsed irrationally on Thursday April 18. His European adventure ended in disappointment on penalties (2-1, 4-3 tab, after the 1-2 first leg defeat). Paulo Fonseca’s men, virtually qualified for 20 minutes thanks to goals from Yusuf Yazici (15th) and Benjamin André (67th), saw the evening change at the worst time and in an incredible situation.

In full control against non-existent Villans, Lille were taken into overtime because of a goal conceded in the 87th minute. Jostled on an aerial exit by his teammate Nabil Bentaleb, Lucas Chevalier released the ball in an almost innocuous situation. The leather arrived at the feet of Matty Cash, who seized the opportunity to punish Lille on the first real opportunity for his team, who had not attempted a single shot until the 56th minute.

Emiliano Martinez the tormentor

Behind, Losc experienced a roller coaster-like extension. On the one hand, Lucas Chevalier saved his team from an impressive double save against Leon Bailey, then Douglas Luiz (100th). On the other hand, Tiago Santos (108th) and Angel Gomes (115th) came close to hitting the target, and a penalty was considered by the referee because of a hand from Matty Cash (114th), but the man in yellow decided not to grant it, without even going to watch the video.

On penalties, Lille had to face Emiliano Martinez, who had become the sworn enemy of football fans in France since the final of the last World Cup. Far from being inhibited by the whistles that were aimed at him every time he touched the ball throughout the evening, the Argentinian provoked the public by putting his finger in front of his mouth after stopping the first shot of the session, facing Nabil Bentaleb.

The act earned him his second yellow card of the evening, which was not synonymous with expulsion, because “cautions or warnings received by players or team officials during the match are not taken into account during the penalty shootout” according to the rules of the game set by the International Football Association Board. Martinez held his place in his goal and qualified his team by frustrating the fifth Lille shooter, Benjamin André. Lucas Chevalier’s parade against Leon Bailey will remain anecdotal.

Losc will therefore not play the first European Cup semi-final in its history, but will note its progress on the European scene, where it played its first quarter-finals. Currently 4th in Ligue 1 and still in the running to secure a ticket for the next Champions League, he will be able to concentrate all his forces on the last six matches of his season.