Matty Cash scored a dramatic equalizer to lift Aston Villa to victory.
Aston Villa fell 1-2 to Lille in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference quarterfinal second leg of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League (UECL) at the Stade Pierre Morois in Lille, France, at 1:45 a.m. ET on Monday. However, with the score 3-3 on aggregate, the match went to penalties, which Aston Villa won 4-3.
It was Lille who took the early lead. In the 15th minute, Gabriel Gudmundsson sent in a low cross from the left flank that Yusuf Yazdzic connected with a left-footed shot from just inside the penalty box. Yazutsu’s shot went into the bottom left corner. The first half ended with Aston Villa trailing 0-1.
Lille added an insurance goal. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Hakon Haraldsson sent in a cross from a Lille corner and Vincent Andre rattled the net with a header.
Aston Villa did not stand still. In the 42nd minute, Ollie Watkins sent in a cross from the left flank, and goalkeeper Luca Chevalier caught the ball in mid-air and tripped over a teammate on the way down. Chevalier missed the ball and John Duran had a shot that was blocked by the defense. Cash then struck the ball and it deflected off the defense and into the net. Eventually, the game went to extra time.
In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez came up big. Emiliano saved Lille’s first kicker, Nabil Bentaleb, from the spot. Emiliano’s performance didn’t stop there. He saved Lille’s fifth kicker, Andre, to send Aston Villa through to the last four.
There was one controversial moment of the day. Eight minutes into the second half of extra time, Ivan Cavaleiro sent in a cross from the right flank that struck Cash’s hand inside the penalty box. The Lille players claimed a penalty kick. However, the referee didn’t see a handball foul and play continued. If Cassie’s foul had been recognized and a penalty had been awarded, Lille could have been the winners.
According to French publication Le Figaro, “Cash could have been penalized for a handball inside the penalty box late in extra time. But history will remember him as Aston Villa’s best attacker. That’s saying something for a fullback. He scored a great right-footed goal to help 카지노 us reach the last four.”
Cash is known for his rough play. He has a long history of bad blood with Tottenham Hotspur. Cash injured Matt Doherty in the 2021-22 season. Doherty tore the medial ligament in his knee and was out for three months, which was a shame as Doherty was on the rise.
Cash also attacked the Spurs player this season. In the 13th round, he attempted a rough tackle on Bentancur. Rodrigo Bentancur was treated and returned to the field, but it wasn’t long before he limped off again. Eventually, Bentancur was replaced by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The injury was to his knee. Nine months after returning from his cruciate ligament injury, Bentancur left again, angering Spurs fans.