Aston Villa ended a 30-year trophy drought by defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final. Youri Tielemans scored late in the first half with a powerful volley to give Villa the lead. Emiliano Buendia doubled the advantage seconds before halftime with a curling finish. Morgan Rogers added a third goal in the second half to complete a dominant performance. The victory delivered Villa’s first major European prize in 44 years and their first silverware since the 1996 League Cup. The win echoed the club’s 1982 European Cup triumph over Bayern, with Peter Withe and Dennis Mortimer watching from the stands.
"Aston 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 on Wednesday (Thursday AEST). Unai Emery's side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans' thunderous volley. Buendia increased Villa's advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval. 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."
"That famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe's goal in Rotterdam, has stood as the most iconic moment in Villa's 152-year history. But Villa's current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club's golden generation. Now Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and company can share the rarified air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of '82. Fittingly, with Withe and Mortimer watching from the stands, Villa crushed Freiburg while wearing white shirts instead of their traditional claret and blue kit - just as they did against Bayern."
""I feel amazing. My voice is a bit gone but it's all good. We put in a shift, top performance, we had a great season. To top it off with this, it's amazing," Tielemans said. "We only had one day to practise, we did it on Monday and it went brilliantly tonight. So happy." Villa's memorable finish to the season also included qualifying for the Champions League last week. Tielemans admitted their success was a far cry from the dismal start to the campaign, which featured six winless games and only two goals scored."
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