‘King’ Emery hailed as Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Europa League
Key takeaways
- Villa dominated Freiburg in the final in Istanbul to win their first trophy since 1996 and European title since 1982.
- Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half through Tielemans’ thunderous volley on Wednesday, before Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds from the half-time whistle.
- Morgan Rogers’ second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European prize for 44 years.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Villa dominated Freiburg in the final in Istanbul to win their first trophy since 1996 and European title since 1982.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Aston Villa's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the UEFA Europa League final against SC Freiburg at Besiktas Park in Istanbul [Stefano Relladini/AFP]By AFPPublished On 21 May 202621 May 2026Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul.
Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half through Tielemans’ thunderous volley on Wednesday, before Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds from the half-time whistle.