Martínez swooped in like a hawk to make a stunning save

At Villa Park, his night began with a walk onto the pitch alongside his two children, surrounded by a packed stadium. Under the gaze of the crowd, he proudly held aloft the two Yashin Trophies—the Ballon d’Or for goalkeepers—that he had won over the past two years. For those still doubting whether he truly deserved such honors, it seemed fate had a surprise in store. After all, who else could have made that save?

Only Emiliano Martínez. Before him, perhaps Gordon Banks. The uncanny reflexes that link these two goalkeepers—separated by 54 years—make their saves seem nothing short of miraculous. Simply put, unbelievable.

If you haven’t already seen or heard about Martínez’s incredible save for Aston Villa last night, here’s what happened. In the 65th minute, Juventus winger Francisco Conceição unleashed a powerful header from close range near Martínez’s right-hand post. What followed was jaw-dropping: Martínez dived to his right, stretching out his arm to claw the ball away from the goal line in an almost impossible fashion.

Replays showed the ball had nearly crossed the line entirely, leaving just a few centimeters in play. Yet Martínez’s outstretched hand hooked the ball back like a fishing line pulling in a catch. His timing was so precise that he managed to clear the ball just before it fully crossed the line. Had he tried a more conventional dive, the ball might have gone in.

The save drew comparisons to Gordon Banks’ legendary stop against Pelé’s header during the 1970 World Cup—a moment often hailed as one of football’s greatest saves. Similarly, Martínez’s career-defining save remains his last-minute block against Randal Kolo Muani in the 2022 World Cup final. However, the technical resemblance of last night’s save to Banks’ effort is striking: both involved diving backward with hawk-like precision to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Thanks to Martínez’s heroics, Juventus was denied a goal, and Aston Villa walked away with a hard-earned point in a 0-0 draw. Remarkably, Villa became the third team in Champions League history—after AC Milan (1992–93) and Chelsea (1999–00)—to keep clean sheets in their first three home matches. With four clean sheets in five matches this season, Aston Villa’s defensive record owes much to Martínez’s brilliance. The team, managed by Unai Emery, now sits ninth in the table with 10 points.

Other Matches:

Monaco 2-3 Benfica: Benfica came from behind twice to secure victory, with Ángel Di María assisting two goals. The Portuguese club now has nine points and sits 14th.
Red Star Belgrade 5-1 Stuttgart: A dominant performance sees Red Star collect their first win in five years, placing 31st with three points.
PSV 3-2 Shakhtar: PSV made history as the first team to win a Champions League match after trailing 2-0 until the 86th minute. They now sit 18th with eight points.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-3 Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund moves up to fourth with 12 points.
Celtic 1-1 Club Brugge: A draw places Celtic 20th with eight points.

Champions League Results at a Glance: