Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez
has his fans accustomed to great performances.
This Thursday was no exception.
The man from Mar del Plata was vital for
Aston Villa
, which in Amsterdam drew 0-0 against
Ajax
in the first leg of the round of 16 of the
Conference League
, the third step of European competitions.
He put on the hero suit and kept his goal scoreless, with a
saving save
.
SPECTACULAR ABOUT DIBU MARTÍNEZ AGAINST AJAX.
📺 Watch the #UECL on #StarPlusLA pic.twitter.com/flvUWeU373
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) March 7, 2024
It was a duel with few chances and the tie will be decided at Villa Park.
The Dutch team's irregular season continues.
With no options in the Eredivisie, it was eliminated from the Europa League, finishing third in the group it shared with Brighton, Olympique Marseille and AEK Athens, and at the first change it ended up with one of the most difficult teams in the Conference League pot, the villainous outfit that won their group.
Aston Villa, on the contrary, maintains an upward inertia under the orders of Unai Emery, who this Thursday proposed a conservative match to reach the second leg with options to keep the key at Villa Park.
Only two chances, both for Ajax, one from Broobey who went wide and another from Taylor who was stopped by Emiliano Martínez, could alter the score of a match that was altered at the end with the expulsions of Konsa and Gooijer, who will not be able to play the crash back.