Why wasn’t Emiliano Martinez sent off in the Aston Villa - Lille penalty shootout? Can goalkeepers be sent off in a penalty shootout?

In the Europa League match between Aston Villa and Lille, the Game stayed tied and went to a penalty shootout. During the shootout, Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez received a yellow card for taunting and excessive celebration, as he danced and taunted the Lille crowd. The referee duly showed him a yellow card and the shootout continued.

The problem is, Martinez had already received a yellow card earlier in the match. This left many fans wondering what was going on. Why did Martinez stay in the Game? Are goalkeepers especially protected in a penalty shootout?

The answer is actually simpler than that. A rule change in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, means that yellow cards are “reset” when a penalty shootout begins, meaning that Martinez had received one in the game but when the penalties started, he had zero. This card was effectively his first card.

It is easy to understand why this rule change flew under the radar, with stadiums empty throughout the 2020/2021 season. Since then, this is the first high profile case of it happening.

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Villa march on

Aston Villa have secured a berth in the semi-final of the 2023-24 UEFA Conference League and for the first time since the 1981-82 season are at the latter stage of a major European competition.

Unai Emery’s side now face the winners of Fenerbahçe-Olympiakos in the next round.