Premier League side Aston Villa ended a 30-year wait for major silverware on Wednesday night. They beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul.
Captain John McGinn lifted the trophy at Besiktas Park. Villa secured their first European title since the 1982 European Cup triumph.
Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers sealed a famous victory. Unai Emery claimed his fifth Europa League title as a manager.
Several members of Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning side attended the match. Former captain Dennis Mortimer and ex-striker Peter Withe were among them.
Tielemans opened the scoring with a stunning volley. It came after a clever short-corner routine. Buendia then curled home Villa’s second. That left Freiburg with little chance to get back into the game.
Rogers wrapped up the victory late on. That sparked wild celebrations among Villa substitutes and supporters inside the stadium.
Emery said: “I am thankful to co-owners Nassef and Wes. They are always supporting. I am thankful to the supporters. I am thankful for the players.”
He added: “Every time I succeed in this competition, I need good players. Now I am so thankful for the players. They follow our ambitions. They are protagonists on the field. That is why I do not feel like the king in this competition. I feel really thankful. We are the kings together.”
Emery continued: “After 1982 the club won the European Cup. The supporters were missing a trophy. Achieving this makes us so, so happy. But we are not going to stop.”
Tielemans described the win as the perfect ending to Villa’s season. “I feel amazing,” he told TNT Sports. “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 is amazing.”
He added: “It has been a season with many ups and downs. We started so, so badly. Our standards were very poor. The way we turned things around was a credit to the players and staff. We kept working and believing. We got the win in the end. Champions League next season and a trophy.”
More than 20,000 Villa supporters travelled to Turkey for the final. That far exceeded the club’s official ticket allocation of 10,758. Fans turned parts of Istanbul into what many dubbed “Astonbul”.
Prince William, a well-known Villa supporter, was among those watching. He celebrated passionately throughout the match. He later congratulated the club.
He said: “Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware! Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara. He has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team. He helped lay the foundations of this success.”
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez later revealed he suffered a broken finger during the warm-up. He still completed the final.
Martinez said: “Today I broke my finger during the warm-up. For me, every bad thing brings something good. I’ve done this my whole life. I’ll keep doing it. Should I be worried? Well, I’ve never had a broken finger before. Every time I caught the ball, it went the other way. But these are things you have to go through. I’m proud to defend Aston Villa.”
The Argentine produced two saves during the match. He then joined the post-match celebrations. Emery was lifted into the air by his players.
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