Ex-PL official: Aston Villa star should've been sent off in first half vs Freiburg
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Credit: Imago, TNT Sports Wed 20 May 2026 20:51, UK Matty Cash was fortunate to stay on the pitch in the first half of Aston Villa‘s Europa League final clash against Freiburg.Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has insisted that the Villa right-back deserved to be dismissed for a rash tackle on Vincenzo Grifo.Cash lunged in on the Freiburg captain in the 21st minute of the final and was subsequently booked by match referee Francois Letexier.Replays showed that the Poland star caught Grifo’s shin with his studs up, but the challenge was checked and cleared by VAR official Jerome Bisard.It would have been a disaster if Cash was sent off in the early stages of Aston Villa’s biggest match in decades, and he can seemingly count himself lucky that he did not see red. ⚽ Aston Villa Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Aston Villa fixture. VISIT THE VILLA MATCH HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Keith Hackett slams Francois Letexier for failure to send Matty Cash offCash saw his side go ahead in Istanbul just minutes before the break through a fine volley from Youri Tielemans, while Emi Buendia doubled their lead in added-time at the end of the first half.Villa will now feel like genuine favourites to lift the Europa League, but things could have been very different had the right-back been sent off.DateResult15 MayVilla 4-2 Liverpool10 MayBurnley 2-2 Villa7 MayVilla 4-0 Forest3 MayVilla 1-2 Tottenham30 AprilForest 1-0 VillaVilla’s form ahead of Europa League finalSpeaking exclusively to Football Insider, ex-PGMOL boss Hackett said: That is a serious foul play challenge that should have resulted in Matty Cash receiving a red card.
“He has turned, and with studs showing, is in contact high up on his opponent’s leg. (Francois) Letexier, whom I rate highly, should have applied the law.”