Aston Villa ended a 30-year wait for a major trophy after a dominant 3-0 win over SC Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul on Wednesday evening.
Villa took control of the match before half-time with standout performances from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendía, both of whom scored impressive goals to put the Premier League side firmly ahead.
Morgan Rogers added a third goal shortly after half-time to seal the victory and hand Aston Villa their first trophy since winning the League Cup during the 1995–96 season.
The victory also marked a record fifth Europa League title for Villa manager Unai Emery, who previously won the competition three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal before joining the Birmingham club.
“It’s hard to put into words. We worked so hard for this,” Rogers said after the game.
“We knew we had one more game and we all performed and we got through it. It’s a great moment for the fans, a great moment for the club, and it will go down in history.”
Among the supporters celebrating at Istanbul’s Tupras Stadium was Prince William, a lifelong Aston Villa fan who traveled to watch the club lift the European trophy.
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