Europa Conference League: the semi-final flies to Lille, which loses to the wire against Aston Villa

Beaten 2-1 in the semi-final first leg of the Europa Conference League, Lille lost on penalties to Aston Villa (2-1, 3-4 tab) this Thursday in the return match, at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq. Yazici quickly opened the scoring for the Mastiffs (15th) and André then doubled the lead (68th), but Unai Emery's players equalized through Cash (87th) at the very end of the match and snatched extra time against the run of play. game.

Still tied at the end of extra time, the two teams decided after the dreaded penalty shootout and the Villans made the difference thanks in particular to two saves from their goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine world champion goalkeeper received a second yellow card during this penalty shootout, but the latter does not enter into the count of cards for the match. Losc misses the opportunity to reach the semi-final of a European Cup for the first time in its history.

Lille wanted to put pressure on Aston Villa. Driven by a packed Pierre-Mauroy stadium, Losc implemented its will. Harmless, the English did not worry Lucas Chevalier. Ollie Watkins and his teammates returned to the locker room without attempting a single shot. For their part, Paulo Fonseca's men knew how to attack at the right time. After a first attempt, off target, from Jonathan David, the deliverance came from Yazici's left foot. The one who replaces, the absent of the day Zhegrova, took a cross behind Gudmundsson (15th). After a quarter of an hour of play, the Northerners made up for the deficit accumulated during the first leg won by Aston Villa (2-1).

An experienced captain, Benjamin André twice had the opportunity to virtually propel his team to the semi-finals. His first header from close range found Martinez when the second flew off target. In the second half, the third attempt was the right one. The midfielder created the success by pushing the ball into the back of the net after hitting the bar then the post (68th). Lille were heading to the Europa Conference League semi-finals but Cash objected to this qualification. The right back, the most dangerous player on the Villa side with 3 attempts (the only ones in 90 minutes), took advantage of the collision between Chevalier and Bentaleb to bring the two teams into extra time. Frustrating for Lille! Unexpected for Villa!

At the end of an extension marked by a possible handball from Cash and after an unbearable penalty session, Lille experienced a cruel elimination. If the two teams neutralized each other during overtime, it almost fell to one side or the other. Chevalier saves his team by repelling a header from Douglas Luiz at point blank range. The Brazilian had the goals wide open in front of him.

For its part, Lille was undoubtedly the victim of injustice. On a cross, the Aston Villa right-back appears to touch the ball with his hand. In the images, the situation is confusing. The Pole expanded his area of ​​intervention with his arm. There is good contact between the defender's hand and the ball, but the referee does not flinch, despite the brief intervention of the Var. After 120 minutes, the two teams were unable to decide between themselves. Head for penalties. Ironically, Benjamin André, who almost guided his team to the semi-finals, saw his decisive shot saved by Martinez. A lodger for some, provocative for others, the Argentinian goalkeeper pushed Lille towards the exit.