Villa turn on the style to beat Freiburg in Europa League final

Classy Aston Villa lifted their first major European trophy since 1982 by beating Germany's Freiburg 3-0 on Wednesday to win the Europa League.

Villa, European champions 44 years ago, had not won any major competition since the English League Cup in 1996. Their coach Unai Emery, in contrast, has now racked up five Europa League titles after winning three with Sevilla and one with Villarreal.

A superb volley by midfielder Youri Tielemans on 41 minutes following a clever corner and an equally special curler from Emiliano Buendía soon afterwards had the Premier League side 2-0 up at the break.

Buendía's cross was then prodded in by Morgan Rogers just before the hour mark at a rocking Beşiktaş stadium, where Villa fan Prince William enjoyed himself.

Rogers told TNT Sports: "It's hard to put into words, we've worked so hard for this. We knew we had one more game to give our all in and we all delivered. It's a great moment for the fans and the club and we'll go down in history."

Freiburg had never clinched a major honour and fell short in their first European final.

The Black Forest side's defeat means they miss out on a first Champions League qualification and will go into the Conference League having finished seventh in a strong Bundesliga season.

"At the moment there can be no happiness, we have lost a final. It hurts," coach Julian Schuster told RTL.

"I think the first half, the first 40 minutes, we looked OK. But then set pieces made a difference."

Villa had already guaranteed a Champions League place via the Premier League given the English top flight has five berths for Europe's top club competition next term because of UEFA co-efficients.

If Birmingham-based Villa drop from fourth to fifth on the Premier League final day on Sunday, sixth place in the Premier League - currently Bournemouth - will also go into the Champions League.

Six of Villa's starting XI also began in Emery's Villa debut three-and-a-half-years ago, including Argentina World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who shrugged off a finger injury to play. Centre back Victor Lindelöf started in midfield.

Höfler retires on a downer

Freiburg boss Schuster picked the same team that eliminated Braga in the semi-final second leg, with 36-year-old Nicolas Höfler starting in midfield in his final game before retirement.

Early on, Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu leapt like the cat that had been prowling around the stadium to push away Roger's effort.

Höfler then fired just wide amid a feverish atmosphere and Villa's Matty Cash was booked for a risky challenge on Vincenzo Grifo.

A frantic start eventually calmed down although Freiburg's Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi, tipped for a big move away, was always trying to create a bit of magic.

But instead it was conjured by Belgium's Tielemans, who expertly volleyed in Rogers' cross from just inside the box. It was his first goal of 2026.

Tielemans said: "I feel amazing. My voice is a bit gone but it's all good. We put in a shift, a top performance. We had a great season, to top it off with this - it's amazing."

Spanish midfielder Buendía, also crucial in the semi-final win over Nottingham Forest, matched his team-mate in first-half injury-time with an unstoppable curling shot.

The winger later popped up with the perfect assist for Rogers, who is expected to be in England's World Cup squad on Friday.

Freiburg supporters in Istanbul were upset before kick-off that their planned choreo had to be changed because UEFA ruled it might obstruct the view of VIP seats.

Around 15,000 fans also watched at a public viewing in the German city, but it was not to be as Premier League quality showed.

English clubs have now won the last seven major UEFA men's club finals played against German opposition.

Villa follow Tottenham Hotspur as Europa League winners and England could win all three European trophies in the next 10 days. Crystal Palace face Rayo Vallecano in next Wednesday's Conference League final before Arsenal take on holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League showpiece on May 30.