Aston Villa Win Europa League to End 30-Year Trophy Drought

Unai Emery’s team took the lead in Istanbul with Tielemans’ magnificent volley towards the end of the first half.

Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a superb curler seconds before the break.

Morgan Rogers’ second-half goal put the Germans behind to seal Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European trophy for 44 years.

The famous European Cup final in 1982, secured by Bayern Munich’s Peter Withe goal in Rotterdam, remains the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.

Now Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and friends can share the rarefied air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of ’82.

Accordingly, Villa defeated Freiburg wearing white shirts rather than the traditional claret and blue jersey, just as they did against Bayern, as Withe and Mortimer watched from the stands.

Villa’s long-awaited continental victory was the latest masterclass in the Europa League for Emery, who has won the competition five times following victories with Sevilla in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said this week he did not feel like the “king” of the Europa League but received the royal seal of approval from Villa supporter Prince William, who celebrated his team’s coronation with nearly 20,000 enthusiastic fans at the Beşiktaş Stadium.

Another famous Villa fan, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, also attended the party and sent a good luck message to the team before kick-off.

It was a memorable end to the season for Villa, who qualified for next season’s Champions League by beating Liverpool last week.

It was impossible to imagine Villa’s success in the last six days, considering they started the season on a six-game winning streak and conceded just two goals in that dismal run.

– Unforgettable night –

Their first win this season came against Bologna in the Europa League; It was the first of 13 wins in 15 matches in the tournament, which culminated in a brutal defeat of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024 and the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery is convinced Villa will eventually shed the “almost man” tag.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unwavering faith was rewarded.

The Europa League victory underlined Villa’s impressive renaissance since Emery took over in October 2022, with the club languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Villa, which was relegated to the second league in 1987 and 2016 and lost in four domestic finals before coming to Istanbul, has had a difficult time since winning the European Cup.

Those painful memories were erased forever with an unforgettable night on the shores of the Bosphorus.

Villa were dominant from the start and should have been ahead in the opening moments when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers.

Tielemans broke Freiburg’s resistance with a magic moment in the 41st minute.

Rogers was the catalyst for a clever short corner routine and pinpointed the ball towards Tielemans, who timed his run perfectly to volley just inside Atubolu.

It was Tielemans’ second goal of the season and his first since December.

Even the Belgian midfielder’s rocket had to take a backseat to Buendia’s gem.

After Freiburg failed to close him down, Buendia set his sights on the edge of the area and drilled a magnificent finish into the far corner.

Rogers put the result beyond doubt in the 58th minute, sliding to turn in Buendia’s cross as the three-decade-long Villa party was in full swing.