Aston Villa were crowned UEFA Europa League champions on Wednesday night, defeating SC Freiburg 3-0 at Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul and ending a 44-year wait for a European trophy.
Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers found the net in the 41st, 45+3rd and 58th minutes respectively, as Villa exerted dominant control from the opening whistle and consistently broke down Freiburg’s defense.
The victory marked Unai Emery’s fifth Europa League title, adding to the three he won with Sevilla and one with Villarreal. The Spaniard became the first manager in football history to lift the trophy with three different clubs.
Emery now boasts five Europa League wins from just six European finals managed, and in the process he has turned Aston Villa into European champions for the first time since their famous 1982 triumph.
Speaking to TNT Sport post-game, Emery said “Next year we will play in Champions League and this is the challenge. The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world. To be fighting top seven, top five, top four is something very difficult. Hopefully we can be close with teams like City and Arsenal. Congratulations to them for this title.
Aston Villa recorded 12 wins, no draws and two defeats across their 2025/26 campaign.
In the knockout stages, they overcame Lille in the round of 16 with a 1-0 away win followed by a 2-0 home victory. They then swept aside Bologna in the quarter-finals, winning 3-1 away and 4-0 at home.
For Emery, the run was another chance to remind everyone of his mastery in this competition, and he delivered once again. In the semi-finals, Villa bounced back from a 1-0 away defeat to Nottingham Forest by hammering them 4-0 in the return leg at Villa Park.
Wednesday’s victory also secured the club a place in the group stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League.
