After 30 years of waiting for a major trophy, Aston Villa secured a clinical 3–0 victory over Freiburg in the 2025–26 Europa League final on Wednesday evening. From the start of the competition back in September, the Villans were the favorites to win Europe’s second-most prestigious club competition. They entered the final with the same pressure, expected to comfortably dispatch their Bundesliga opponents, especially after clinching a top-five Premier League finish at the weekend.Aston Villa controlled much of the first half, enjoying prolonged spells of possession as they poked and prodded for an opening against Freiburg’s stingy defense. Unai Emery’s men remained calm as the minutes ticked on, seemingly confident they would eventually find the breakthrough—and they were right. A well-worked short corner saw Morgan Rogers float a cross to an unmarked Youri Tielemans, who fired home a sensational volley to put his side up 1–0 in the 41st minute. Emiliano Buendía soon doubled Aston Villa’s lead deep into first-half stoppage time, curling home a special strike with his weaker foot before both teams headed down the tunnel. Emery’s men were in dreamland just 13 minutes after the restart. Buendía sent a dangerous ball across the face of goal that Rogers poked home to make it 3–0. The celebrations started from that moment on, and continued until the final whistle sounded at the the Tüpraş Stadyumu, crowning Aston Villa Europa League champions.Aston Villa Snap 30-Year Trophy Drought in StyleMorgan Rogers (left) and Youri Tielemans both found the back of the net. | Alex Livesey/AVFC/Aston Villa FC/Getty ImagesThe last time Aston Villa lifted a major trophy came all the way back in 1996, when they defeated Leeds United to win the League Cup at Wembley. For the next 30 years, the Villans chased a similar glory with little success ... until now.Under Emery’s leadership, the team hit milestone after milestone until winning a trophy felt like the next logical step for the overachieving English outfit. The 2025–26 Europa League posed the perfect opportunity. Aston Villa finished second in the league phase standings, losing just one of their opening eight matches. They then defeated Lille, Bologna and Nottingham Forest in the knockout stage to punch their tickets to Istanbul, where the team’s big names stepped up in a major way. Tielemans, who was named Aston Villa’s Player of the Season in 2024–25, scored just his second goal of the season on the biggest of stages. Both Rogers and Buendía bagged a goal and an assist each, while John McGinn also tallied an assist. Emiliano Martínez, meanwhile, was sturdy as ever between the posts, and recorded a clean sheet to make sure there was no chance Freiburg clawed their way back into the game. Emery Is Inevitable in the Europa LeagueUnai Emery is the most successful manager in Europa League history. | Angel Martinez/UEFA/Getty ImagesThere is no one better in the Europa League than Emery. The Spaniard is the winningest manager in the competition’s history, with five titles to this name. No other boss has even won four. During his days at Sevilla, Emery led the Spanish outfit to a historic Europa League three-peat, topping the competition in 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16. He also hoisted the trophy with Villarreal in 2020–21. Winningest Managers in Europa League HistoryManagerEuropa League TitlesYears WonClub(s)Unai Emery52014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2026Sevilla (3), Villarreal, Aston VillaGiovanni Trapattoni31977, 1991, 1993Juventus (2), InterLuis Molowny21985, 1986Real MadridJuande Ramos22006, 2007SevillaRafael Benítez22004, 2013Valencia, ChelseaJosé Mourinho22003, 2017Porto, Man UtdDiego Simeone22012, 2018Atlético Madrid Now, Emery gets to add the 2025–26 Europa League crown to his illustrious résumé. Aston Villa’s victory marks the first time the 54-year-old won Europe’s second-most prestigious club competition with a Premier League side. Emery previously had a chance to top the competition during his stint with Arsenal, but he watched in dismay from the touchline as the Gunners fell 4–1 to London rivals Chelsea in the 2018–19 final. It marks the first and only time the Spanish boss lost a Europa League final. READ THE LATEST EUROPA LEAGUE NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow