Aston Villa have won the Europa League, defeating Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul courtesy of two stunning goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia, and an effort from Morgan Rogers, to capture their first trophy since the League Cup in 1996.
It is also Villa‘s first continental trophy since they lifted the European Cup in 1982, etching manager Unai Emery and his team into the club’s folklore.
It has been another remarkable season for Villa. Emery, who joined the club in 2022, has been working with limited funds yet has managed to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League and win a piece of silverware.
Additionally, it is the Spaniard’s fifth Europa League triumph, after winning it three times in a row with Sevilla between 2013 and 2016, as well as with Villarreal in 2019.
Villa’s route to the final included knockout victories over Lille, Bologna, and fellow Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest, before finishing the job against Freiburg.
John McGinn and Ollie Watkins are the Villans’ top goalscorers in the competition, both bagging five goals. Buendia has registered four goals and six assists in 12 appearances, and his goal in the final came in his 150th appearance for the club.
In Emery’s first full season in charge, he guided Villa into the Champions League with a fourth-place finish, before qualifying for this year’s Europa League following a sixth-place finish in 2024/25.
They will return to the Champions League for the 2026/27 campaign.
As a result of their Europa League triumph, sixth place in the Premier League could be enough to qualify for the Champions League should Villa finish fifth, leaving the door open for Bournemouth or Brighton to sneak into Europe’s premier competition.
