Unai Emery has now won the Europa League five times, including three consecutive Sevilla titles and a Villarreal victory over Manchester United. Aston Villa added another chapter by winning the competition in Istanbul and securing their first European trophy since 1982. Youri Tielemans scored early after being allowed to ghost into the box and finish a Morgan Rodgers cross. Emiliano Buendia then scored a second goal from the edge of the box, curling a shot past Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu. Villa fans celebrated as the team built momentum before halftime. The win ended a long trophy drought and crowned Emery after replacing Steven Gerrard in October 2022.
"Villa had not lifted a trophy since Brian Little guided the club to glory in the 1996 League Cup, when they beat Howard Wilkinson's Leeds at Wembley. When the moment comes for a trophy drought of that magnitude to end, nerves and tension tend to ripple through the players trying to kick-start a new era of success. Yet this Villa team have refused to follow conventional scripts since Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as their manager in October 2022 and this was the night for his crowning glory."
Read at Irish Independent
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