By Anadolu Agency
In the 3rd minute, Rogers, who received the ball in the opponent’s half, took a shot but the goalkeeper prevented the goal.
In the 17th minute, from a free kick, the ball was deflected by the Aston Villa defense inside the penalty area, and Höfler struck it hard from just outside the box, but the ball went wide.
In the 34th minute, after Aston Villa lost possession while attacking, Manzambi’s shot from outside the penalty area was saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Aston Villa scored in the 41st minute. From a short corner kick on the left side, Rogers sent the ball into the penalty area, and Tielemans struck it cleanly into the net: 0-1
In the 45+3rd minute, Aston Villa made it 2-0. Following a pass from McGinn on the right flank, Buendia, positioned just outside the penalty area on the right, scored with a stylish left-footed shot into the corner of the far post: 0-2
The first half of the match ended with the English team leading 2-0.
In the 58th minute, Aston Villa made it 3-0. Following an attack down the left flank, Buendia crossed the ball into the box, and Rogers tapped it in from close range, sending the ball into the net.
In the 70th minute, from a corner kick taken from the right side, Onana rose to head the ball at the far post, but it hit the post and bounced back into the field of play.
In the 75th minute, Aston Villa came close to scoring once again. Buendia, who received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, missed a golden opportunity, shooting the ball wide of the goalkeeper.
Aston Villa won the match 3-0 and lifted the trophy.
Aston Villa celebrated a European trophy win for the first time in 43 years.
With goals from Tielemans, Buendia, and Rogers, the English team won the match 3-0 at Tüpraş Stadium, achieving their first European cup victory in 1982.
In the European Cup played in the Netherlands, Aston Villa defeated German team Bayern Munich 1-0 to win Europe’s biggest club trophy, and the following season they also won the UEFA Super Cup by beating Barcelona.
Aston Villa returned from Istanbul with the Europa League trophy, winning their first-ever UEFA Europa League title and increasing their European trophy count to three.
Emery wins the UEFA Europa League title for the 5th time.
Unai Emery, the Aston Villa manager who arrived in Istanbul as the manager with the most UEFA Europa League titles, lifted the trophy for the fifth time in the competition.
Emery, who won all four of his championships with Spanish teams, won the title with Sevilla in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and finally reached the top with Villarreal in 2021.
The experienced manager lost the 2019 final with Arsenal to Chelsea 4-1.
The English did not lose a final in Istanbul again.
For the fifth time, Istanbul hosted the final of a UEFA competition, and once again, the English emerged victorious.
In four of the finals held in Istanbul, the English emerged victorious. Istanbul, which organized the finals of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League twice each, the number one organization in European football, also hosted the UEFA Super Cup once.
Liverpool have played in two finals in Istanbul, winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League final as well as the 2019 UEFA Super Cup.
Manchester City defeated Italian side Inter 1-0 to take home their first ever UEFA Champions League trophy.
English teams have only missed one UEFA Cup final, in 2009, between Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen.
English teams have played in the most UEFA Europa League finals.
Following Aston Villa’s match against German side Freiburg, the title of the team with the most appearances in the UEFA Europa League final passed to the English team.
With this final, the English have reached the UEFA Europa League final 20 times, surpassing the Spaniards who had 19 finals.
Freiburg made it to Germany’s final score of 16.
Prince William of Wales also watched.
Prince William of Wales also watched the UEFA Europa League final.
William, who watched the match from the box reserved for him and his entourage, was visibly jubilant when Aston Villa scored.
Aston Villa won the cup.
Following the final match played at Tüpraş Stadium, the trophy was brought onto the platform set up on the field by İlhan Mansız, a former player for Beşiktaş and the national team.
Turkish Football Federation President İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, together with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, shook hands and congratulated the players of both teams.
Ceferin presented the medals to the players and handed the trophy to Aston Villa captain McGinn.
Amidst confetti, the English team lifted the trophy and celebrated their victory by parading around the stands to the tune of Queen’s “We are the champions”.
Julian Schuster: “This evening will help us become a better team.”
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Freiburg’s coach Julian Schuster said, “The first half went as we expected. Both teams fought hard. Rogers had a chance. We anticipated that set pieces would play a significant role. Throughout the season, defending against these kinds of situations has always been difficult. We fell behind before halftime. In such a situation, you are at a disadvantage. After the second goal, things got even more difficult. When you concede the first goal, it becomes even harder to maintain focus. The second goal escalates the situation and pushes you to the point of giving up. After going 2-0 down, we could see the team’s true character. We needed a goal to get back into the game, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.”
The German coach, expressing his disappointment, stated that they would learn from tonight’s performance, saying, “We couldn’t take the final step. I can’t say it’s a very good feeling. We’ve seen throughout the season that we can learn from this experience. We will do that. We will get to a better point. We know who we are and what our capabilities are. Tonight will help us become a better team. We congratulate Aston Villa. They had a very impressive Europa League season. They showed that they are a very good team.”
Speaking about his team’s performance, the 41-year-old coach said, “It’s difficult to find fault with the first half. We could have created better opportunities and solutions. We could have been better at ball control. We lost possession too often. This is something we need to improve. There are areas where we need to learn and develop. Today’s match can be used for this purpose. We will need to transfer all the lessons we learn to the new season. We will look at how we can be better and try to find the right solutions.”
Speaking about the Freiburg fans, Schuster said, “The atmosphere today was incredible. We are grateful for the support our fans showed. They brought Freiburg to the European stage. The way they supported us was amazing. I am proud of everyone. You get to know the club in moments like these. When things start to go badly, you see the true face of the fans. The atmosphere they created was incredible. It’s a wonderful thing to have the fans by your side throughout the match.”
Schuster described the team’s UEFA Europa League performance this season as “a very special journey,” and when asked about goalkeeper Noah Atubolu’s potential departure, he replied, “This is the wrong time to talk about that. He had a very good season. He has taken the necessary steps. We will have the opportunity to talk about his future in the next few days.”
Unai Emery: “I don’t feel like the king of this tournament.”
Unai Emery, who holds the record for most UEFA Europa League titles with five wins, stated that he doesn’t attach too much importance to this achievement, saying, “I am grateful to Sevilla, Villarreal, Aston Villa, all the teams with their history and fans. I couldn’t have succeeded in this tournament without them. The players’ contribution is undeniable. If I was considered a favorite in this tournament, it’s because we couldn’t have achieved it without good players. The club, myself, and the players all had goals. I don’t feel like the king of this tournament. If there is a kingship, we are all kings together.”
The experienced coach, stating that they had planned every step of the process leading up to the cup, said, “The club’s goals are very important. Every step we took in this process was calculated. We came here by implementing these steps at different times and in different processes. There are many things we are doing to improve within the club. Playing for and winning a cup in Europe is a goal. We achieved that tonight. We got closer to our goal in the Conference League and other cups. Experiences like today’s are very valuable for improving ourselves. Some players have cup experience, but what matters is how we got here. This is the team’s first cup win in Europe since 1982.”
The Spanish coach, emphasizing that being the favorite isn’t enough, stated, “Winning matches and playing in the final is very difficult. We’ve seen it all along. Those who were considered favorites couldn’t reach this stage. They lost in the semi-finals or even earlier. These are good teams with good coaches. Looking at the last 15 years and considering the finals, we see how difficult it is to get here. It doesn’t matter if someone else considers you the favorite; you have to show it on the field.”
Reminding everyone that they will be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season, Emery said, “We are trying to enjoy every moment and improve ourselves. We will be playing on the European stage again. It will be a challenging process. Playing in the Europa League is fantastic. Before getting here, you have to enjoy the journey that got you here.”
Emiliano Buendia
Emiliano Buendia, who was named Man of the Match, also expressed his happiness for the team, saying, “It’s a process that started with the coach’s arrival at the club and has continued to this day. Everyone did their best to improve during the season. We’ve been playing in Europe for three consecutive seasons. This season’s Europa League campaign has been fantastic. Tonight we played a great match against a tough opponent. The details made the difference and we won the cup.”
Speaking about the goal he scored, the Argentinian player said, “I found myself in a good position. I could have controlled the ball and turned, but I decided to shoot. This is something we’ve worked on in training. I trust both my feet. It was a good shot and a goal. It came at a critical moment before the end of the first half. With this goal, we set the opponent back a step.”
Matty Cash: “We executed our game plan correctly.”
Matty Cash, stating that Aston Villa fans deserved this trophy, said, “It was incredible to see so many of them come today. We have a celebration tomorrow, so people at home won’t miss out either. They will enjoy it with us. We executed our game plan correctly. We were quite comfortable in the match. And then our great players came on, scored goals, and did their job.”
The 28-year-old player stated that they played quite comfortably and experiencedly in the final, saying, “We looked good. We didn’t seem under too much pressure. And I think that’s what we showed tonight, based on the moments we experienced. We executed the game plan really well. I’m very happy. We had a burden on our shoulders because we wanted to win a trophy.”
Underlining their strong desire to win the Europa League trophy, Cash said, “Lifting this trophy would be a huge step for us. We’ve been in Europe for the last few years. A few years ago, the club avoided relegation and then laid the foundations. And all of that was to get to where we are now. And next year we will spend another year in the Champions League. Hopefully we can perform well.”
Ollie Watkins: “The atmosphere was incredible when we stepped onto the pitch.”
Ollie Watkins stated that Aston Villa fans created an impressive atmosphere, saying, “When we went out onto the pitch, the atmosphere was incredible. The Villa fans were very loud and singing. I think that motivated the players. I think we overcame them both with the support of the fans and with our style of play on the pitch.”
The 30-year-old footballer, noting that his friends from his home country had also come to support him, said: “I know my friends were here today to support me and they played alongside me in reserve matches when I was at Exeter. After coming this far and experiencing many ups and downs this season, personally, I had a bad start to the season. It’s incredible to see where I finished the season and what we achieved together as a club, that we managed to win the Europa League final.”
Underlining that the success achieved was the culmination of years of work, the English striker said, “I haven’t had much luck in the finals. That was on my mind going into this match. I didn’t want another loss. I think the trophy we won here today is the result of hard work and years of effort. Since he (Aston Villa manager Unai Emery) arrived, we’ve achieved many successes, such as qualifying for Europe at the end of the season, reaching the Conference League and the Champions League. So this isn’t just one year’s work. It took several years, and that’s why it feels so sweet to me because we put in so much effort.”
Emiliano Buendia, who was chosen as the player of the match, expressed his happiness and pride at winning the cup.
The 29-year-old Argentinian player said, “I want to thank every member of this team, not just the players, but the entire coaching staff and everyone who works for the club. It was worth such a night, especially for our fans who were incredible today. Helping us win a trophy for this club after so many years was the most important thing.”