Overview
- Aston Villa beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20, with Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers scoring the goals.
- The victory ended the club’s long wait for major silverware, giving Villa their first significant trophy in roughly 30 years and their first continental title since 1982.
- Unai Emery extended his record in the competition by claiming a fifth Europa League trophy, a mark that underlines his sustained success in European knockout tournaments.
- Reports say goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez broke a finger in the warm-up but played on and kept a clean sheet; those injury details are based on post-match accounts and limited sourcing.
- Prince William attended and celebrated in Istanbul, the club has announced an open-top victory parade through Birmingham later the same day, and the win guarantees Champions League football for Villa next season with potential knock-on effects for English qualification spots.