The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Martinez

  • Argentina’s Martinez banned for ‘offensive behaviour’

    Argentina’s Martinez banned for ‘offensive behaviour’

    Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will miss Argentina’s next two games after being banned by Fifa for “offensive behaviour”.

    The suspension relates to two incidents in 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Colombia this month.

    Martinez repeated his infamous celebrations after the 2022 World Cup triumph by holding a replica Copa America trophy against his crotch following the 3-0 win over Chile on 6 September.

    The match was Argentina’s first since winning the Copa America in the United States in July.

    On 10 September Martinez hit a camera with his gloves as a cameraman approached him on the pitch after the 2-1 defeat by Colombia.

    Read Also: Messi and Martinez score twice in Argentina win

    The Argentina Football Association said it disagreed with the suspension but that Martinez was “responsible” for his actions.

    He will miss the qualifiers against Venezuela and Bolivia in October.

    Martinez won the Golden Glove award for best keeper at the 2022 World Cup and placed the trophy near his groin after the presentation.

  • Martinez leads Aston Europa Conference semis

    Martinez leads Aston Europa Conference semis

    Aston Villa reached their first major European semi-final since 1982 with a chaotic victory on penalties over Lille in the Europa Conference League.

    In an extraordinary shootout after the tie ended 3-3 on aggregate after extra time, Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez – who had been booked earlier for time-wasting – was shown another yellow card for appearing to gesture to home fans.

    Martinez, who had already kept out Nabil Bentaleb’s attempt, was allowed to carry on as his initial booking was not carried over into the shootout.

    The Argentina World Cup winner then went on to keep out Benjamin Andre’s attempt as Villa won 4-3 on penalties to advance to the last four.

    Martinez then ran virtually the whole length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Villa’s jubilant 2,600 travelling fans.

    Earlier in the shootout, Ollie Watkins was made to wait to take his penalty as there were two balls on the pitch before the England forward stepped up to score.

    Read Also: Martinez faces two months out with foot injury

    On a dramatic night in northern France, Unai Emery’s side were three minutes from going out after goals by Yusuf Yazici and Benjamin Andre wiped out Villa’s 2-1 advantage from the first leg.

    But Matty Cash’s 87th-minute deflected strike – after goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier had dropped a cross – made it 3-3 on aggregate and forced extra time which did not produce any further goals leaving the tie to be decided by penalties.

    Aston Villa will face the winners of Olympiakos against Fenerbahce in the semi-final. 

  • Martinez faces two months out with foot injury

    Martinez faces two months out with foot injury

    Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez is expected to be out for around two months after suffering a recurrence of the foot injury which he originally picked up in April.

    Martinez missed the end of last season with the injury and re-aggravated the problem in defeats to Brighton and Bayern Munich earlier this month.

    The Argentina defender missed the victories against Burnley and Crystal Palace and is now set for an extended spell on the sidelines. Sources have told ESPN that he is set to be absent for a similar period to his original injury.

    “Lisandro Martinez will be out of action for an extended period due to an aggravation of the foot injury he suffered in April,” the club said in a statement on Friday.

    “The Argentinian defender experienced the setback in our Premier League game against Arsenal earlier this month.

    Read Also: Colombia 2024: Mauritius withdraws as Falconets progress to third round

    Despite the injury, Martinez played for United in the following two games against Brighton and Bayern.

    But it has now been determined that he needs a period on the sidelines for recovery and rehabilitation. Assessment is ongoing to determine next steps.

    “Everyone at Manchester United sends Lisandro our best wishes and looks forward to him coming back as soon as possible,” the club said in a statement.

    Meanwhile, on-loan full-back Sergio Reguilón is expected to miss the Premier League clash against Palace on Saturday after picking up a hamstring injury against Burnley.

    He joins Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad on the sidelines.

    Jadon Sancho remains unavailable while he trains away from the squad while Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay both missed the Carabao Cup victory over Palace on Tuesday because of illness.