Aston Villa win Europa League to claim first major trophy in 30 years

Aston Villa have won the Europa League following victory over German side Freiburg in Istanbul. 

Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and England international Morgan Rogers scored the goals in a 3-0 win to ensure Villa claimed their first major trophy in 30 years - and a first European title since 1982.

Prince William, an avid supporter of the West Midlands club, was among the fans celebrating in the stands at Tupras Stadium on Wednesday evening.

In a statement, the Prince of Wales hailed an "amazing night" and congratulated the team on their triumph.

"Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware."

William also singled out praise for injured Villa player Boubacar Kamara who he described as an "integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success".

The result means Villa manager, Unai Emery, has now won the Europa League a record-extending five times, having previously lifted the trophy on three occasions with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.

"It's hard to put into words," Rogers said after the game. "You work so hard for this and we all delivered. It's a great moment for the fans and for the club."

Tielemans shared his teammate's sentiment: "It's amazing. It has been a season with a lot of ups and downs. The way we turned things around, it's a credit to the players and to the staff."

The Belgian midfielder had opened the scoring for Villa after 40 minutes before Buendia netted a second with a sublime strike from the edge of the box on the stroke of half time.

Rogers added a third 12 minutes after the restart to secure an impressive victory for the Premier League side and spark jubilant scenes both inside the stadium and at the Utilita Arena Birmingham, where hundreds of fans who had not made the trip to Turkey gathered to watch the game.

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Arsenal, the recently-crowned Premier League champions, and Crystal Palace now have the chance to make it a clean sweep for English teams in European competitions this season.

Palace play Spanish side Rayo Vallecano in the final of the Europa Conference League in Leipzig on 27 May, while Arsenal take on holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest three days later.

(c) Sky News 2026: Aston Villa win Europa League to claim first major trophy in 30 years