"Watkins's dry spell was over, his first goal in eight matches and only second in 13 securing Aston Villa victory in Lille. In the end, while his side are not yet anywhere near back to their convincing, conquering best, this was a thoroughly satisfying night for Unai Emery, a first win in five matches, a feeling reinforced by the second-half arrival of the Villa captain John McGinn after two months out injured."
"The Nord Tribune, home to Lille's ultras, promised Martinez a hellish welcome and when the Villa goalkeeper headed towards them before the start of the second half, they made their feelings known. L'Equipe labelled Martinez l' epouvantail, the scarecrow. Martinez was guaranteed a white-hot reception given his antics on his last visit almost two years ago, his first since the World Cup."
"Then, the Argentinian saved penalties from Benjamin Andre and Nabil Bentaleb, both of whom started here, in a shootout to help Villa into the semi-finals of the Conference League and picked up two yellow cards in the same match, avoiding a red card because his second, for inciting the home fans, came during the spot-kicks."
Aston Villa defeated Lille in a Europa League last-16 first-leg match, with Ollie Watkins breaking his goal drought by scoring a header after Emi Buendia won an aerial challenge. The goal came after an hour of frustration for Watkins and proved decisive in securing Villa's first victory in five matches. Manager Unai Emery's side showed improvement despite not yet reaching their best form. The return of captain John McGinn in the second half after two months of injury added to the positive atmosphere. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez faced a hostile reception from Lille's ultras, referencing his controversial previous visit nearly two years ago when he saved penalties and received yellow cards during a Conference League shootout.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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