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Where would you like your statue, Mr Emery? Even before this emphatic triumph, Aston Villa supporters could hardly have held their manager in greater esteem. But now Emery, in winning the competition for a record fifth time, has delivered the thing he always wanted, a trophy to show for his transformative body of work. Those who were not around for Rotterdam in 1982 will always cherish Istanbul in 2026. Thomas Tuchel had it right a few years ago when he suggested Uefa may as well rename the Europa League the Unai Emery trophy.
Just like 82, it was Villa in white against German opponents in red, this time Freiburg and Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendía and Morgan Rogers the goalscorers. All three goals were sparkling, Tielemans and Buendía scoring beauties to put Villa in the box seat, before Rogers got in on the act. It felt like a procession from the moment Buendía curled a left-foot peach into the top corner with the final kick of the first half and, as a contest, it was a non-event from the moment Rogers struck. Mind you, try telling that to the Villa faithful
who came in their numbers; their official allocation was 10,758 but about double that figure travelled hoping to live a history-making moment.
Villa took over Taksim Square, one of the city’s hubs. For Villa, a first continental final for 44 years and for Freiburg, the club from south-west Germany who finished seventh in the Bundesliga, this comfortably represented the biggest occasion in their 121-year history. A generation of Villa supporters may have arrived in Turkey desperate to see their team lift silverware, a first since the League Cup in 1996, but Freiburg arrived without a single trophy in their cabinet. Villa, guaranteed a place in the Champions League next season, entered as heavy favourites.
There was a wonderful sense of occasion when Villa players headed on to the pitch to take in the scenery an hour and a half before kick-off, Ezri Konsa filming the Villa supporters savouring the occasion and Amadou Onana, back on the bench after a calf injury as Emery named an unchanged team, nodded along to the chants raining down from the stands. Villa’s co-owners, Nassef Sawiris, wearing a claret and blue scarf, and Wes Edens, embraced the players before joining the Prince of Wales and Uefa’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, in the VIP seats.
Supporters proudly sang of 1982 and nine of that team were present to watch another absorbing night unfold. One of those, the goalkeeper Nigel Spink, came on after nine minutes when Jimmy Rimmer was forced off through injury and there was a whiff of deja vu here. This time Emiliano Martínez required treatment in the warm-up, the goalkeeper coach, Javi García, taping one of his fingers on his right hand and for a few minutes the Argentinian continued to kick and receive the ball with his right glove in his left hand. Any concerns, though, were short-lived, Martínez charging out before kick-off, fist pumping with his right hand towards the Villa fans behind the goal. If there were any wider nerves, they had evaporated by half-time, the Villa supporters singing Buendía’s name on loop.
Villa were in dreamland at the interval, 2-0 up after Buendía controlled McGinn’s pass on the edge of the box with his right foot and, with his next touch, sent a stunning left-foot shot into the top corner. It was the final kick of the half, at the end of three minutes of added time, and it felt like the goal that killed their opponents. Tielemans had given Villa a leg up on 41 minutes, with a pure volley from Rogers’s expertly weighted cross from a short-corner routine. The ball seemed to drop in slow motion but Tielemans read it all the way, leathering in with his laces.
Until then, Villa had been the better team but there were a couple of anxious moments, none more so than Matty Cash’s poor challenge on Vincenzo Grifo.
Cash got away with a booking but replays showed that after taking the ball he followed through on the midfielder’s shin with his studs. The video assistant referee did not appear to flag the incident to the French referee, François Letexier.
Villa knew Freiburg would play man for man and from kick-off they pinched the ball high from Tielemans. Johan Manzambi was lively and Nicolas Höfler had the game’s first real chance, dragging wide after Pau Torres headed a free-kick clear.
Villa were in command, happy that Freiburg had to force the issue. But Villa kept Julian Schuster’s side at arm’s length and Villa extended their lead approaching the hour. Lucas Digne released Buendía down the left channel and the midfielder, who last summer looked destined to depart Villa Park, faced up Lukas Kübler. Buendía bided his time and then sent a teasing cross towards the front post, where Rogers expertly traded places with Ollie Watkins to squeeze the ball in. Villa’s subs poured on to the pitch and the remaining half an hour turned into quite the hoot.
Onana, introduced midway through the second half, headed against a post at a corner and Buendía rattled the side-netting when his second and a Villa fourth felt inevitable.
Emery, the author of this story, bounced on the touchline. For the fans, here, in Birmingham and beyond, the wait is over, the party just getting started.
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