Goalkeeping

In a night of high drama, Aston Villa’s Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez etched his name into European folklore with a controversial yet heroic performance against Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals. Despite being booked twice, Martinez stayed on the pitch and ultimately proved to be the shootout hero, saving the decisive penalty to send Villa into the semi-finals. The incident that set tongues wagging occurred during the tense penalty shootout, which followed a pulsating 3-3 aggregate scoreline after extra time.

In a pulsating UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash, Paris Saint-Germain’s star goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma endured a night to forget against Barcelona. His error-strewn display drew scathing criticism from pundits Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch, who did not hold back in their assessment of the Italian’s struggles between the sticks. The match at the Parc des Princes was a rollercoaster ride, with Barcelona taking a 1-0 lead in the first half through Raphinha’s clinical finish.