RC Lens were made to pay for a string of missed chances as they squandered their first-leg advantage and failed to qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League against Panathinaikos (2-0, agg. 3-2). 

The match

The rhythm was set early on. Lens were not pressed and were allowed to control the game for large periods. They had chances too – lots of them. Wesley Saïd should have done better with a golden opportunity inside the box but his header from five yards out flew agonisingly wide.

Just minutes later, David Pereira da Costa burst into the Panathinaikos box, was brought down under light contact and earned a penalty, which was missed by Florian Sotoca, whose tame effort was comfortably saved. The chances kept on coming but the outcome was the same as Lens couldn’t make their superiority tell.

Adrien Thomasson almost got the goal that would have given Les Sang et Or a bit of breathing room, but his shot on the stretch was well saved by Bartlomiej Dragowski, who was exceptional in the Panathinaikos goal. Inevitably, Lens were punished and the goal came from former Manchester United man Facundo Pellistri, who joined the Greek side less than a week ago.

Panathinaikos broke through Pellistri, who then got onto the end of the move, putting his first-time finish past Brice Samba. The rhythm of the game was altered briefly with an enthused Panathinaikos pressing Lens high. Will Still’s side looked to have weathered the storm and went back to controlling and carving out the better opportunities.

However, they were once again hit on the break. Having over-committed at a corner, Panathinaikos found themselves in a two-on-one position. It was well worked with Tetê finishing the move with a shot on the slide. Fotis Ioannidis should have wrapped the game but he missed an open let with Brice Samba taken out of the game.

Panathinaikos were nearly punished for that finish, but they weren’t, and that was the difference on the night. Andy Diouf worked Dragowski into a great save from close range and then Rémy Labeau Lascary’s effort was then cleared off the line by Nemanja Maksimović.

“There are lots of regrets. We weren’t deadly enough, in attack and in defence, tonight,” summarised Thomasson in his post-match interview with Canal Plus. A wasteful Lens therefore miss out on qualification for the Europa Conference League. A cruel blow for Les Sang et Or and new manager Still.

Lens player ratings

Brice Samba – 4

Malang Sarr – 4

Sarr didn’t play a single minute of professional football last season and the season before, his minutes were severely limited while on loan at AS Monaco. The Frenchman’s return to action, a Lens debut in a hostile atmosphere in Greece, wasn’t a horror show, but nor was it a success. Clean in possession, he too often found himself bypassed and a step behind the game. He was notably too late to drop back on Panathinaikos’ opener.

Abdukodir Khusanov – 5

Jonathan Gradit – 4

Deiver Machado – 6

Andy Diouf – 7

The standout player for Lens. His driving runs through the thirds and ability to progress the ball were reminiscent of the player that we saw playing at Basel in the Europa Conference League two seasons ago. It was that player that Lens thought they bought back to Ligue 1. He has rarely shown that level since joining Lens but he showed it tonight. It was a performance that deserved more.

Adrien Thomasson – 5

Przemyslaw Frankowski – 6

Pereira Da Costa – 5

Florian Sotoca – 3

It was his missed penalty that set the tone and set the narrative. By his standards, it was a poor penalty but his overall play also fell below those standards. A scruffy performance, littered with losses of possession.

Wesley Saïd – 4

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Both Salis Abdul Samed and Kevin Danso are heading towards the exit door at Lens and will not play any part against Panathinaikos. The absence of the latter, still an integral first-team member, is a big blow, whereas the former has been ostracised from the first-team for several weeks. 

There is then the absence of another key defender Facundo Medina due to suspension. Two new signings, Anass Zaroury and Martín Satriano, both of whom would likely have played some part, are not eligible to compete. Neil El-Aynaoui is not yet ready to return to action, whilst Jimmy Cabot is injured.

Lens likely lineup v Panathinaikos 

Brice Samba; Malang Sarr, Abdukodir Khusanov, Jonathan Gradit; Deiver Machado, Andy Diouf, Adrien Thomasson, Przemyslaw Frankowski; Pereira Da Costa; Florian Sotoca, Wesley Saïd. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

It was always expected that Kevin Danso (25) would leave Lens this summer; perhaps the only surprise is that the move is happening so late in the transfer window. As reported by L’Équipe, Lens and AS Roma have reached an agreement for the transfer of the Austria international, who has now been authorised to travel to the Italian capital and complete the move, reportedly worth €26m. 

Whilst the transfer is good news for the coffers at Lens, amid the introduction of a new, more austere regime, it is bad news for Still, who would ideally have liked to have Danso at his disposal in order to help Les Sang et Or get over the line and seal their Europa Conference League qualification. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

There are no fresh concerns for Lens. Neil El-Aynaoui, who saw his move to AS Monaco fall through earlier this summer after he failed his medical, remains unavailable as he works his way back to fitness. Les Sang et Or have decided not to operate on the injury but he will still be absent in the immediate. 

There are players in the “loft” that will miss out such as Stijn Spierings and Salis Abdul Samed, whilst squad player Jimmy Cabot is out through injury.

Lens likely lineup v Panathinaikos

Brice Samba; Facundo Medina, Kevin Danso, Jonathan Gradit; Jhoanner Chavez, Adrien Thomasson, Angelo Fulgini, Nampalys Mendy, Ruben Aguilar; Wesley Saïd, Florian Sotoca. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez describes insults received at Lille

After a nail-biting period of extra time following a 2-1 win for Les Dogues to level the tie, the English side prevailed 4-3 in a penalty shootout, with Martinez once again a penalty shootout hero following his exploits in the World Cup final against France that has earnt him a notorious reputation in the country.

In the immediate aftermath of his performance in the quarter-final shootout, the Argentine taunted the home fans with dancing and gestures after receiving a barrage of insults throughout the game in north-eastern France, treatment that he has  evoked in an interview for Argentine outlet TYC Sports: 

“They insulted me the entire match. Never had I been so insulted in all my life. They did everything! I didn’t do anything in the 120 minutes of the game. The fans insulted me so much during each goal kick that the referee issued me a yellow card in the 30th minute! After that, I shut them up during the penalty shootout.”

Aston Villa went on to exit the competition at the semi-final stage, soundly beaten by the eventual champions Olympiacos. 

Martínez arrived in Lille on Wednesday as public enemy No.1. The Argentinian goalkeeper was booed by the home crowd at the Stade Pierre Mauroy as Aston Villa faced Lille OSC in the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final. However, just as he did at the World Cup final, it was Martínez who had the last laugh. 

As expected, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gets a hostile welcome from the Lille fans.

Argentina’s No.1 is public enemy No.1 in France for his antics in the World Cup final in Qatar.pic.twitter.com/bXD2dCFe7F

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) April 18, 2024

The Aston Villa goalkeeper made two stops during the penalty shootout to ensure the Premier League side’s progression to the semi-finals of the competition, at the expense of Les Dogues. Whilst Paulo Fonseca described Martínez as a “great goalkeeper”, Lille president Olivier Létang was critical of the Argentine’s attitude in the match, having teased the LOSC fans and also used destabilising techniques in the penalty shoot-out, notably with Nabil Bentaleb. 

“I don’t want to waste time talking about this boy, who doesn’t have the attitude of a high-level sportsman because in defeat, as in victory, you have to stay calm and elegant,” said Létang post-match. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Lille 2-1 Aston Villa (3-3 on aggregate; 3-4 after penalties)

The focus in the buildup to the game was always going to be on Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez. The Argentine goalkeeper became public enemy number one during the 2022 World Cup, and his antics were not soon forgotten by the French crowd that gathered to watch. Lille OSC had been the better team throughout the contest, but as penalties arrived and a hostile stadium gathered, there was always going to be one winner. 

Martínez’s every involvement was met with a cacophony of fierce whistles from a support that had seemingly gathered not only to will their team on but to vent their past frustrations at the World Cup winner. 

Despite this, the goalkeeper was a spectator as a flowing passing move cut through the box and found Yusuf Yazıcı who continued his impressive performance in the first leg with a scintillating finish. The hosts saw less of the ball than their guests, but they created far more with it, forcing Martínez into a reflex save to keep the score 2-2 on aggregate. 

Villa looked leggy as they tried to control the tempo of the game, and proved far too toothless when they ventured into the Lille half. They could not manage a single shot for the entire first forty-five minutes, and as the half-time break approached there was a growing sense of tension within the guests. 

The sloppiness from Villa continued into the second half with Youri Tielemans gifting Hákan Haraldsson the ball in a threatening area, although the Icelander’s shot was unable to test Martínez. Lille maintained their early pressure gaining the ball in high positions and making the Villa defence sweat. 

In the 56th minute, Matty Cash was able to record the first shot for the visitors. A dangerous-looking move but one that ultimately was still off-target. However, it least provided something that had been missing from the first half for the visitors, with their fullbacks finally making more adventurous runs into the Lille half. 

However, they still had not provided enough throughout the game, and Lille’s pressure eventually paid off. A set piece found its way to one of the smaller players on the pitch when the captain Benjamin André leapt highest and headed the ball towards the goal. It struck the post but soon found its way home allowing for Lille for the first time in the tie to take the lead. 

Cash took advantage of a terrible bit of goalkeeping from Lucas Chevalier, as the goalkeeper crashed into Nabil Bentaleb, and allowed a loose ball for the fullback to collect and fire home. One more chance for Lille came when Bafodé Diakité latched onto a header, but the shot was too honest and flew straight into the hands of Martínez. And it was up to extra time for the game to be settled.

Extra time and penalties await Lille and Aston Villa 

Fatigue began to set in for both sides as the first half of extra time took its toll on the teams. There was far less intensity from Lille which suited Villa who continued to grow into the game. Forcing a magnificent double save from Chevalier who more than made up for his earlier transgression. A late wave of pressure from Lille never threatened Martínez but kept the Villa defence occupied. 

As the second half of extra time began the prospect of penalties began to settle in and the thought of the World Cup winner began to loom. The thought kept ticking, could he break French hearts again? In an arena that has been so hostile towards him. Lille were desperate not to allow this while Villa sat back and conserved their energy. There was hardly any space for the hosts to attack and their shots seemed to become more and more distant. 

It looked as if Lille might have gotten their break when the ball struck Cash’s hand in the penalty box, but their appeals were waved away, before VAR checked the decision and decided his hand was close to his body. The game couldn’t be settled in extra time and so it was to be penalties. And the moment Martínez had been waiting for was here.

Tielemans scored first before Martínez saved Bentaleb’s effort. The goalkeeper then appeared to have been sent off when he received his second yellow of the night but was saved by a little-used rule. Regulation time yellow cards are wiped clean during penalty shootouts, and the goalkeeper was on ‘better’ behaviour after the early scare. 

Ollie Watkins and Jonathan David both scored, as did Cash and Angel Gomes. A save from Chevalier on Leon Bailey looked to provide a lifeline, while Cabella levelled the matters. Douglas Luis scored for Villa before Martínez was once again called to action to prevent the captain André. With the devil’s own luck, Marítnez danced his little dance and became the only man to receive two silly yellows and still be the hero.

Lille player ratings 

Lucas Chevalier, 6 – At fault for the mistake that cost them the game, but his reactions were vital. A saved penalty in the shootout provided a lifeline, but it was not enough. 

Ismaily, 6

Bafodé Diakité, 6

Leny Yoro, 7

Tiago Santos, 6

Nabil Bentaleb, 4

Benjamin André, 5

Gabriel Gudmundsson, 7 – Substituted after full-time for Rémy Cabella. 

Hákan Haraldsson, 7 – Substituted in the 76th minute for Angel Gomes. 

Yusuf Yazıcı, 7 – Substituted in the 85th minute for Ivan Cavaleiro. The Turkish international had another impressive performance after helping to keep Lille within the tie last week. A goalscorer tonight and one of the most creative forces on the pitch. 

Jonathan David, 3 – Scoring his penalty was important, but otherwise the striker had another evening where he went missing. Struggled across the forward line to find space. 

Aston Villa selected player ratings

Emiliano Martínez, 8 – A hero and a villain on the night. One of the only players to receive two yellow cards and remain on the pitch. 

Matty Cash, 7 

Ollie Watkins, 3

GFFN | Nick Hartland

The quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League might have been a far less impressive setting but the flashbacks were no less real for the French fans still tortured by the Argentine’s phenomenal display in the 2022 World Cup. 

In that final, a competition that has come to be defined as Lionel Messi’s (36) swansong on the global stage, there was only one name in the Argentine squad that could have come close to stealing Messi’s spotlight. Despite conceding three goals, the goalkeeper was heroic throughout the final, a vital presence at the death in stopping Randal Kolo-Muani (25) from winning the game, and a penalty shootout hero for his nation. 

His performance alone would have made him a figure of despise in France, but it was his reaction during the celebrations that cemented his reviled reputation, and quickly earned him the moniker of the “most hated Argentine in France.”

Emiliano Martínez: the ‘most hated’ Argentine in France 

As he collected the golden glove for his efforts in the tournament, Martínez made an obscene gesture when he placed the trophy in front of his pelvis. A reaction he weakly blamed on the French fans, stating “I did it because the French booed me. Arrogance doesn’t work with me.”

Despite being one of the first to console Kylian Mbappé (25) on the pitch, he was far less gracious in the dressing room where he was witnessed calling for a minute’s silence for the Frenchman, “Who is dead.” The goalkeeper had previously taken exception to Mbappé’s comments that South American football had been left behind by the European game. 

Back in Argentina where the celebrations continued, Martínez was pictured on the open-top bus carrying around with him a baby doll with Mbappé’s face printed out on it. And it was during these festivities, that Argentine fans were heard racially insulting Mbappé during the parade, and burning a cardboard coffin with Mbappé’s head. 

Since then the animosity had quietened, a World Cup held in the winter meant that it was a swift return to domestic football in England for Martínez where he was out of the spotlight for France, and the fierce enmity that had sparked alive did not have the oxygen to grow much further. However in 2023, when the goalkeeper arrived in Paris for the Ballon d’Or awards he was met with boos from the crowd. 

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (31) has won the Yachine Trophy, adding to his Golden Glove award, which he won during last year's World Cup in Qatar. https://t.co/dsmi2fpWEY

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) October 30, 2023

Old wounds reopened 

Arriving in France tonight will surely open up some old wounds, as Lille look to overcome a 2-1 deficit and reach their first ever semi-final. Martínez can expect a hostile reception from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy as French fans will get a real chance to voice some of their former anger at a goalkeeper who looks built for the occasion. 

And while Martínez generally thrives with the crowd against him, his Aston Villa manager has warned him to reign in his emotions during the game and not get caught up in the conflicts of the past. Unai Emery stated in his press conference, “We have to be ready for the pressure from their supporters and we have to manage our emotions. Martínez is very important to us and very recognised in world football. We will protect him.”

For Lille, perhaps the same can be said, and the emotions of the past should not cloud their fans from seeing the bigger picture. Their relationship and animosity with Martínez could become fuel for the team to mount an incredible comeback, or it could be a distraction that only serves to see Lille exit from the competition. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland

Bafodé Diakité’s goal late on last Thursday certainly gives Lille hope going into the second leg. Les Nordistes have, unlike Aston Villa, who played Arsenal on Sunday, had a week to rest, recuperate and prepare for the encounter. The club’s match against AS Monaco was postponed by the LFP as part of an initiative to bolster French club’s chances of progressing in European competition. “It will help us,” said David in relation to the initiative. 

However, the Canada international is under no allusions – if Lille are to qualify at Aston Villa’s expense, they will have to be “perfect”. 

“We’ll have to be perfect, not miss our chances and find those little details that will make the difference. Aston Villa aren’t fourth in the Premier League for nothing. It means something. I saw the match against Arsenal (2-0) and it proves the extent to which this team are difficult to beat. We’ll have to take even the smallest chances,” said David in a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

Pre-match, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery revealed that Moreno could miss two or three weeks with a calf injury. It will be former Lille defender Lucas Digne who will likely take his place in the starting XI. It is expected, therefore, that Emery will change a completely unchanged side to the one that beat Lille 2-1 at Villa Park just one week ago. Leon Bailey, therefore, will start over Moussa Diaby, whilst the in form Ollie Watkins will lead the line this evening.

Aston Villa likely lineup v Lille

Emiliano Martinez; Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Diego Carlos, Ezri Konsa; Morgan Rogers, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Leon Bailey; Ollie Watkins. (L’Éq)

GFFN | Luke Entwistle