Published May 21, 2026
Aston Villa ended a 30-year trophy drought in style with a 3-0 victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul, thanks to stunning goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia.
Unai Emery’s side took the lead on Wednesday thanks to Tielemans’ powerful volley late in the first half, before Buendia extended Villa’s advantage with a stunning curler just after the half-time whistle.
A second-half goal from Morgan Rodgers thwarted an inferior German team, giving Villa their first silver medal since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European award in 44 years.
The famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in Rotterdam in 1982 with a Peter Withs goal was the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history, but Villa’s current players were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.
Villa’s long-awaited continental title was Emery’s latest masterclass in the Europa League. Emery has won this competition five times, having won with Sevilla in 2014, 2015, 2016 and Villarreal in 2021.
“I will always be grateful to Europe.”
Emery said this week that he did not feel he was the “king” of the Europa League, but his team’s coronation received royal approval from Villa fan Prince William, who was celebrating with around 20,000 enthusiastic supporters at Besiktas Stadium.
Another famous Villa fan, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, also attended the party and sent a well-wishes to the team before kick-off.
It was a memorable end to a memorable season for Villa, who secured their place in next season’s Champions League with last week’s victory over Liverpool.
Villa’s success over the past six days would have been unimaginable at the start of the season, when they started the season without a win in six games and scored just two points during that miserable losing streak.
Their first win of the season came against Bologna in the Europa League. It was the first of 13 wins out of 15 in this tournament, and they brutally crushed first-time champions Freiburg.
Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024 and in the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery was confident Villa would eventually shed the ‘almost men’ tag.
The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unwavering faith has paid off.
The Europa League win underlined Villa’s remarkable comeback since Emery took over in October 2022, with the club languishing just three points out of the relegation zone.
Emery has called on his players and club executives to live up to his desire to keep Villa in contention for silver medals.
“I’m ambitious myself and of course I need support – the owners, everyone who works at the club. It’s all about growth,” he said.
“The players are following us. We are doing it together. But we must try to set this goal clearly and realistically. We are ambitious and improving as a team. This is our next step.”
“We are getting stronger, but we are trying to be more demanding. Next year we will be in the Champions League, but the Premier League is the most difficult in the world. This is the challenge.”
“It’s great. Europe has given us a lot, even for myself. I’m always very grateful to Europe, for any competition, but especially for the Europa League,” said the Spaniard.
an unforgettable night
Villa, who were relegated to the second division in 1987 and 2016 and lost in the previous four domestic finals before arriving in Istanbul, have endured a tough period since winning the European Cup.
Those harrowing memories were banished forever on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.
Villa dominated from the start and should have taken the lead in the opening moments when Noah Atbolu denied Rodgers.
Tielemans broke Freiburg’s resistance with a moment of magic in the 41st minute.
Rodgers sparked a deft short corner routine, lofting a pinpoint cross towards Tielemans, who timed his run perfectly to fire a superb volley past Atubor from just inside the box.
It was Tielemans’ second goal of the season and his first since December.
Even Belgian midfielder Lockett had to take a backseat to Buendia’s treasure.
After Freiburg failed to contain their opponents, Buendia aimed for the edge of the area and fired a powerful finish into the top corner.
With Villa’s 30-year-old party in full swing, Rodgers put the result beyond doubt when he slid home Buendia’s cross in the 58th minute.
