Emiliano Martinez Mocks Juventus Goalkeeper

Aston Villa's fans denied a late victory: Emiliano Martinez's conflict with Michele Di Gregorio.

Emiliano Martinez ridiculed Juventus' Michele Di Gregorio after Aston Villa missed out on a late winner on Wednesday. The goalkeeper was judged to have been fouled by Diego Carlos. A routine game ended goalless at Villa Park. Aston Villa's manager, Unai Emery, believed his team took all three points at the last minute when Morgan Rogers sent the ball into an unguarded net after Di Gregorio couldn't hold a Youri Tielemans cross.

However, the referee overruled the goal, penalizing Carlos for a foul against the Italian custodian from the free-kick delivery. Emery reckons that this incident would likely count as a goal most of the time in the English Premier League, emphasizing that the contact with Di Gregorio was minimal. “I am satisfied we got a point. We played a very competitive game, striving to secure three points,” Emery noted. “The final action is clear. It's the referee's interpretation. In England, it probably wouldn't be a foul, but in Europe, perhaps so. I find it harsh. Usually, in England, it's not given as a foul as the contact was very slight. But in Europe, it might be regarded as a foul.

I think the referee initially awarded it as a goal. We must accept his ruling. We played a serious game. We tried to avoid mistakes from previous matches. We performed better and, in my opinion, deserved to win over them.

Martinez, in typical fashion, decided to taunt the Juventus goalkeeper post-match, mimicking his exaggerated fall. Martinez was seen laughing and clutching his side, mimicking Michele Di Gregorio, who fell despite minimal contact from Carlos. Striker Watkins agreed with his coach, saying: “I think it was light. Maybe in the Premier League, it's a goal. But in Europe, the keepers get a lot of protection. It's one of those.

I thought we had scored. But to be honest, this game had 0-0 written all over it. Obviously, I must be cautious when speaking about the referee, but it's different in this competition. We've gotten used to it now. Sometimes it goes against you, and sometimes it benefits you. It's a positive result. Fans want lots of goals, and we do too. However, the most crucial point is that we didn't lose tonight. Juventus is a massive club, and they played well. We kept them at bay, and now we shift focus to the weekend.