Aston Villa recorded a 3-0 win over Freiburg on Wednesday to lift the Europa League trophy and dismantle the German opponent with a clinical attacking display that never left the outcome in doubt.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring for Aston Villa after 41 minutes, hitting in a sharp low volley from a Morgan Rogers corner. The England side doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when captain John McGinn won possession to put Emiliano Buendia ahead, who curled a stunning effort into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Rogers added a third in the 58th minute, poking home at the near post from a Buendia cross after a slick passing move to effectively seal the result and spark an early celebration for Unai Emery’s side.
The victory gave Villa a major European trophy, bringing back memories of their 1982 European Cup triumph and marking the club’s first major silverware since winning the English League Cup in 1996.
Freiburg vs Aston Villa player ratings:
SC Freiburg: Noah Atubolu (5.9/10), Lukas Kübler (6.1/10), Matthias Ginter (6.4/10), Philipp Lienhart (5.8/10), Philipp Treu (5.4/10), Maximilian Eggestein (5.9/10), Nicolas Höfler (6.0/10), Johan Manzambi (6.7/10), Vincenzo Grifo (6.1/10), Jan-Niklas Best (6.3/10), Igor Matanović (5.7/10)
subtitles: Max Rosenfelder (6.2/10), Lucas Höler (5.9/10), Derry Scherhant (6.0/10), Jordy Makengo (6.1/10), Christian Günter (6.0/10)
Astonvilla: Emiliano Martínez (7.4/10), Matty Cash (7.0/10), Ezri Konsa (7.6/10), Pau Torres (7.5/10), Lucas Digne (7.7/10), Victor Lindelöf (7.2/10), Youri Tielemans (8.6/10), John McGinn (8.2/10), Morgan Rogers (8.8/10), Emiliano Buendía (8.9/10), Ollie Watkins (6.5/10)
subtitles: Amadou Onana (6.9/10), Ian Maatsen (6.2/10), Jadon Sancho (6.3/10), Tyrone Mings (6.0/10), Douglas Luiz (6.0/10)
Published on May 21, 2026
