Approximately 15 minutes prior to kickoff, Emiliano Martínez was brought onto the field for a ceremonial moment, celebrating his achievement as the first goalkeeper to win the Yashin Trophy twice. An hour later, Martínez demonstrated precisely why he is so highly regarded, a fact that Aston Villa fans did not need reminding of. His spectacular, instinctive save to deny Francisco Conceição midway through the second half thwarted Juventus's opportunity to take the lead. Goalline technology confirmed that Martínez had kept the ball out by mere millimeters, with just a sliver of the Champions League ball remaining on the line.
Juventus, veterans of this stage compared to Villa, earned the point they likely deserved. Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli extended his left boot to block John McGinn's attempt to convert a Leon Bailey cutback, and in the first half, Lucas Digne's free-kick from the edge of the box struck the crossbar. For Villa, a draw against the Serie A side will undoubtedly be viewed as a respectable result, but Unai Emery's team remains winless in seven matches. The last time Villa endured a seven-game winless streak was under Dean Smith four years ago, narrowly avoiding relegation with McGinn and Ezri Konsa, an unused substitute here, in the starting lineup.
Emery has not gone seven games without a win since his dismissal by Arsenal in November 2019, following a home defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, with Martínez in goal. Emery went six games without a win at the end of last season, by which time qualification for this competition had been secured. For Villa, there is no immediate cause for alarm, but a challenging run could potentially extend to eight matches by the time they return from Chelsea on Sunday.
Before the match, Juventus manager Thiago Motta accused Unai Emery of bluffing after his Villa counterpart, who had been Motta's coach during his time at Paris Saint-Germain, suggested he would be content with a point. Motta believed it was a poker face on Emery's part, possibly due to Juventus's light squad numbers. Juventus arrived in England with a 17-man squad, missing star striker Dusan Vlahovic. Douglas Luiz, who has struggled since moving from Birmingham to Turin, was absent due to a muscle injury. The Serie A club named six substitutes, two of whom were goalkeepers. Meanwhile, Villa welcomed back Boubacar Kamara into the midfield and pushed John McGinn forward into a role behind Ollie Watkins, with Morgan Rogers operating from the left flank.
Emery's rallying cry in his programme notes anticipated another memorable evening against a European powerhouse, despite Juventus's slightly diminished reputation in recent years. Regardless of Juventus's illustrious history, Emery was adamant that Villa needed to significantly improve to secure any result. Leon Bailey made a quick start, cutting in from the right flank to shoot, but the match was sluggish for the majority of the first half. Villa's frustrations were epitomized when Youri Tielemans, already on a yellow card, was left stranded after Federico Gatti intercepted a pass to Watkins. It wasn't until Watkins registered the first shot on target, spinning in the box after latching onto Kamara's powerful pass, that the deadlock was broken. Watkins's left-foot shot forced Juventus goalkeeper Di Gregorio into a fine save. From the subsequent corner, Matty Cash saw his effort blocked, and Lucas Digne's free-kick struck the crossbar after Pierre Kalulu was booked for a crunching tackle on Watkins.
At the other end, Francisco Conceição maneuvered down the right flank before squeezing a weak shot at the near post, allowing Martínez to gather comfortably. Conceição was a constant threat and difficult to contain, his cross a few minutes into the second half prompting a handball appeal against Pau Torres. Juventus pressed in numbers, with Khéphren Thuram sending a shot wide after Teun Koopmeiners seized on a loose pass by Bailey. Juventus's big chance came in the 65th minute. Koopmeiners's corner found Conceição unmarked at the back post, but Martínez somehow managed to prevent the header from crossing the line. The goalkeeper dived to his right to repel the ball with his glove, with goalline technology confirming his save.
Three minutes of second-half stoppage time had elapsed when Morgan Rogers thought he had snatched victory with what seemed to be the final kick. Teun Koopmeiners conceded a cheap foul, allowing Villa one last chance to deliver the ball into the box. Diego Carlos rose to challenge Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, but the ball ran free, and Rogers hooked it into an empty net. However, a VAR review penalized the Villa center-back, and Carlos headed down the tunnel with a disgruntled look for the referee.
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