Angry Lille fans attempted to storm Emi Martinez ' goal and appeared ready to ATTACK the Aston Villa star, as stewards were forced to intervene.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper is far from the most popular figure in France after his antics after helping Argentina to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
And Lille fans made their thoughts abundantly clear ahead of their decisive Europa Conference League clash with Villa in northern France on Thursday.
After the players came out for kick-off and lined up for pre-match handshakes, Martinez ran towards his goal. However, after Villans' captain John McGinn had won the coin toss, he elected to switch sides. That forced Martinez to the end of the ground where the more partizan supporters were housed.
Fans could be seen jumping over railings and running towards the pitch, with some being stopped by stewards. They did not manage to get on the pitch, but Martinez' uncomfortable evening grew even more difficult after that.
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His every touch was loudly whistled by the home support, while Villa then found themselves 1-0 down after Yusuf Yazici's clinical finish. Martinez was also booked shortly before the break after delaying a goal-kick.
Despite all of that, Martinez still had the last laugh. He saved two penalties in the resultant shootout after a draw on aggregate. He bizarrely picked up a second booking during the shootout but escaped a red card.
Martinez had previously been branded the 'most hated Argentine in France' by French outlet TF1 for his actions after his nation's World Cup victory. He had mocked Kylian Mbappe on a number of occasions.
One video showed him signing in Spanish: "A minute of silence. For Mbappe who is dead!" Once back in South America, Martinez was also pictured celebrating with a toy baby with Mbappe's face stuck onto it.
Emi Martinez is not a popular figure among French football supporters (Getty Images)
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Since the incidents, Martinez has assured his actions were nothing personal. He said: "Seriously, it was just a football match. Honestly, I love France. I've come here plenty of times on vacation.
"I love the French. I shared a room with two French players from Aston Villa. And as I said before, Arsenal had lots of great players. Arsene Wenger is a legend and he now works for FIFA. It was good to see him again.”
Speaking specifically about the World Cup, he added: “Frankly, they [France] did the impossible to try to win the World Cup, they won the Nations League last time (in 2021). They have reached the final and a great future awaits them.”
Martinez will be hoping he has somewhat of a more comfortable game this weekend following his trip to France. Unai Emery's Villa side take on Bournemouth at Villa Park on Sunday.
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