BirminghamWorld reporter Charlie Haffenden reacts to Aston Villa's 0-0 draw with Juventus in the UEFA Champions League, as Emi Martinez makes a wonder save but Morgan Rogers is denied a late winner.
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00:00Good evening from Villa Park where Aston Villa have just been denied a last gasp winner against
00:06Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. Nonetheless, still just the one defeat in the five games
00:11in Europe's league competition this season. The Villa fans, Unai Emery and the players
00:16will be incredibly disappointed and frustrated at the manner in which it went down here at
00:20Villa Park. It wasn't the best performance under the lights, it has to be said, from
00:24either team really as neither really got out of first or second gear. Possession was
00:30fairly sloppy, Juventus slow and patient as they are under Thiago Motta, didn't really
00:35cut through Villa who kept their fourth clean sheet in the competition this season. Just
00:39the one goal conceded still and that was against Club Brugge in the one-nil defeat in Belgium.
00:45Emilio Martinez once again incredibly impressive. He paraded around the pitch with his Yashin
00:50trophy before the game, very much deserved that award and he proved why once again tonight.
00:55Incredible save. Concha Chao, the Juventus winger, at the far post of the header just
01:00five yards out and Martinez, the quickest feet, the quickest reaction time in the whole
01:04stadium as he clawed the ball off the line and then the replay showed it was merely millimetres
01:10away from crossing it. The referee pointed to his watch saying no goal whatsoever but
01:15he wasn't so clear when it came to the 94th minute. Morgan Rodgers finding the net, an
01:20open goal after Diego Carlos nudged really into the goalkeeper. The referee pointed to
01:27the centre circle as if the goal had been scored, right? That's normally what happens.
01:31Not in this occasion. He was pointing to suggest that Carlos had had a foul on Diego Gorio,
01:36the Juventus goalkeeper and that meant that the goal was ruled out. Not that anyone in
01:40the stadium knew that though. Even us in the press box who normally have an indication
01:43on our screens if it's gone to VAR or not, we were left puzzled as well. Unai Emery after
01:48the game, we asked him if he'd had any clarification. He hadn't. He still doesn't know whether it
01:53went to VAR or not, whether the referee originally gave a goal, whether he gave the foul. It's
01:58completely unclear which is a very rare thing really. We do have confusion sometimes and
02:03controversy when it comes to VAR but not quite in this fashion and to be honest when fans
02:08have paid as much money as they have to be at a Champions League game when it's at the
02:11very highest level and when the ramifications are so huge, clarity is of utmost importance
02:17and tonight the Champions League failed Villa and Juventus in that sense. Both sets of supporters
02:23so confused and even now they will be. The one certainty is the result was 0-0 in the
02:29end and the foul, is it a foul really? It's quite soft isn't it from Carlos. Emery's explanation
02:36in the post-match press conference was that in Europe it's a foul, in the Premier League
02:40it isn't. He suggests that in Europe the slightest of contact on the goalkeeper results
02:44in a foul. He said that when he's attacking set-pieces he makes sure that players aren't
02:49really attacking the goalkeeper out of fear of that. On this occasion the goalkeeper perhaps
02:53moves a little bit too close to Carlos or the other way around. He went down and as
02:58such the goal was ruled out or denied, whatever you want to call it. We still don't know but
03:03on the bigger surface, the bigger picture, Villa do have another point to the Champions
03:07League. It's against a team that has only lost one game in all competitions this season,
03:11a team that has drawn seven of their 13 Serie A matches. It isn't really that bad and up
03:16to ten points after five games, if you said that at the start of the season you'd be absolutely
03:21delighted. Villa's first match in this competition for over 40 years, that's a very good start,
03:26very strong indeed and they can push on their next game in this competition against RB Leipzig
03:31on December 10th.