Aston Villa win Europa League to end 30-year wait as Prince William go | Football | Sport
Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul (Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 to win the Europa League final after two outstanding first-half goals sent royalty into a frenzy. Villa’s success means they have ended their 30-year wait for a major trophy. After a tense first 40 minutes, Youri Tielemans broke the deadlock in Istanbul with a glorious volley before Emiliano Buendia curled in a stunning strike in the second minute of stoppage time. Replays showed Prince William celebrating wildly in the stands at the Besiktas Stadium.
Morgan Rogers made it 3-0 to the Villans in the 58th minute when he turned in Buendia’s cross into the six-yard box. And that was how the match finished to confirm long-awaited silverware for the Premier League club. It means Villa have won their first trophy since the 1996 League Cup. Villa had not won a trophy in Europe since their famous 1982 European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam – the same year that the Prince of Wales was born.
Tielemans told TNT Sports post-match: “I feel amazing. My voice has gone but it’s worth it. We put in a shift, top performance. It’s been a great season and to top it off with this, amazing. It’s been a season of ups and downs. We started so bad, our standards were very poor.
“The way we turned things around was a credit to the players and staff. We kept working, believing. We got the win in the end, Champions League next season and a trophy.”
While Rogers, who netted the third goal of the night, added: “It’s hard to put into words, we’ve worked so hard for this. We’ve delivered and come through. It’s a great moment for the fans, great for the club. We’ll go down in history. We’re all really excited.
“The manager has been banging on about me getting in the box and getting easier goals, so I’m happy to get a toe on that one.”
Villa striker Ollie Watkins reflected: “To perform like that was unbelievable. We controlled the game and punished them. I’ve watched many finals and set pieces can be so crucial. Up until the goal it was very cagey but we worked an unbelievable set-piece, fair play to Austin MacPhee.
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Aston Villa have won their first major trophy for 30 years (Image: Getty)
Unai Emery is a five-time Europa League-winning manager (Image: Getty)
“This is what you dream of. Unai was really calm in the build-up, sometimes he’s a bit anxious in the league. That set the tone.”
Unai Emery is now a five-time Europa League winner having already won it three times previously with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.
Villa are the 11th different club from England to win Europe’s second-tier competition. Victory also ensures the Midlands club, who currently occupy fourth spot in the league, will return to the Champions League next season.
And as an added bonus for the Premier League, if Villa finish fifth in the table, the team ending in sixth spot will also qualify. As it stands, that would be Bournemouth. But the Cherries need Emery’s men to lose away at Manchester City on Sunday and also require Liverpool to win against Brentford at Anfield.
Prince William was delighted with Aston Villa’s win (Image: Getty)
Prince William celebrates one of the Aston Villa goals in the stands (Image: Getty)
Why does Prince William support Aston Villa?
Prince William started supporting Villa in school and explained back in 2015: “A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans, and I didn’t want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments. Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000.
“Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea (in the final). It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time. It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”
He posted on X after Villa’s victory: “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 who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success. UTV! VTID W.”
