Cometh the hour, cometh the man for a penalty shootout - Emi Martinez was at it again.
The Argentina No.1 - who established himself as the go-to guy during his country’s World Cup win 16 months ago - dipped once more into his book of the dark arts to ensure Aston Villa emerged triumphant.
He saved two spot-kicks to send Unai Emery’s side through - but that told only half the story as there was enough drama in the shootout to fill these pages.
This tie had see-sawed from one side to the other during a fascinating two-hour battle of wits but it was only when penalties began that the drama was ramped up a notch. The details of the match are almost incidental.
There was plenty of action as Paulo Fonseca’s side edged in front thanks to goals in each half against a decidedly below-par Villa who had a single-goal advantage wiped out.
But Matty Cash struck a deflected drive with three minutes of the game to go, ensuring the additional half-hour. That 30 minutes finished without a decisive goal. And then it was the Martinez show.
He had been booked with little more than half-an-hour played for time-wasting by referee Ivan Kruzliak who quickly clamped down on his renowned gamesmanship.
And he baited a crowd who had jeered him relentlessly for his behaviour against Les Bleus in the Doha final - by racing to get the ball ahead of Lille’s first penalty taker, Nabil Bentaleb.
By this stage, the home crowd was riled anyway after Youri Tielemans had given Villa the lead in the shootout. But this was only the beginning.
Martinez saved from the former Spurs man. He performed a little dance before the ultras packed in the stands behind him - many who were bare-chested. He was chastised for that by match official Kruzliak. But he then walked away and continued gesturing to the crowd.
That was one action too many for the referee who produced a yellow card. With many of the crowd wondering if Villa were going to progress through the shootout without a keeper or with one from the bench, the Slovakian explained to Lille’s frustrated players that bookings handed out during the game are wiped clear once the tie goes to penalties.
Leon Bailey’s spot-kick was saved by Lucas Chevalier, levelling it up at 3-3. Douglas Luiz added to Villa’s tally leaving home skipper Benjamin Andre to step up to keep his team in it.
Martinez guessed correctly, diving to his left - and sparking scenes of wild jubilation from the 2,600 travelling supporters from Birmingham - and howls of protest from the hosts. No matter.
It will go down as one of Villa’s great European nights. And it will go down as one of Martinez’s too.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.