Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins says an ‘unreal’ teammate was the real hero in Istanbul as they beat Freiburg to Europa League glory.
Villa demolish Freiburg to win first European trophy since 1982
44 years after beating Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup, Aston Villa are continental champions once more.
Unai Emery‘s side swept aside Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday night to claim the Europa League in emphatic fashion — ending a 30-year wait for a trophy and delivering one of the greatest nights in the club’s history.
It was a performance built on quality, composure and decisive finishing at the moments that mattered most.
Freiburg, dangerous from set pieces all evening, had their chances early on. Nicolas Hofler dragged a close-range effort wide after a ball bounced kindly in the box, and Johan Manzambi forced Emiliano Martínez into a save from distance.
Villa weathered the early pressure, and then — in the space of five devastating first-half minutes — they killed the game.
Youri Tielemans struck first. A short corner was worked to Morgan Rogers, whose cross found the Belgian midfielder arriving at pace on the edge of the area. What followed was a moment of pure technique — a first-time volley that flew past Noah Atubolu and into the net.
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Two minutes into stoppage time at the end of the first half, Emiliano Buendia doubled the lead with a curling left-footed effort that was every bit as spectacular as the first.
Two unstoppable strikes, and a few minutes of football that Freiburg simply could not recover from.
Rogers added a third shortly before the hour mark, poking home at the near post from a Buendia cross to spark celebrations among the Villa supporters packed into one end of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
The final whistle confirmed what had felt inevitable since half-time: Villa were champions of Europe once more.
The Prince of Wales, a lifelong supporter, watched from the stands as the players paraded the trophy around the pitch.
For Emery, it was a fifth Europa League title — extending a record that may never be matched. For the club, it was vindication of the project he has built over three years, from mid-table mediocrity to Champions League qualification and now European silverware.
A feat made all the more impressive by the fact Villa registered the lowest gross-spend of any Premier League club last summer, not to mention their well-documented PSR constraints.
It was also a night where several individuals shone — Tielemans, Buendia and Rogers will rightly grab the headlines — but Watkins wanted to highlight someone else entirely.
Ollie Watkins hails ‘unreal’ Victor Lindelof after Freiburg
Speaking to the media after the final whistle, the striker singled out Victor Lindelof as his personal man of the match.
“Victor, as well,” said Watkins.
“He’s come in and played in midfield over the last four or five games, and he’s been unbelievable.
“My man of the match today, Victor. Big shout out to him, he’s been unreal.”
It has been an unlikely renaissance for the 31-year-old Swede.
Signed from Man United last September on a deal until 2027, Lindelof spent much of the campaign as a squad player, making 16 Premier League appearances and mostly featuring from the bench.
But Emery’s decision to deploy him in a deeper midfield role in recent weeks has unlocked something new.
The former centre-back’s reading of the game, comfort on the ball and tactical intelligence have translated seamlessly into a holding position, and against Freiburg he was outstanding — breaking up play, recycling possession calmly under pressure, and providing a platform for the more attacking players around him to flourish.
It was truly a ‘masterclass’ from Lindelof last night, as we explained in a separate opinion piece.
It was a performance that few would have predicted at the start of the season, from a player many assumed had come to Villa Park to see out the final years of his career quietly.
Instead, Lindelof played a pivotal role on the biggest night of them all.
Istanbul, a Europa League trophy, and a standing ovation from his teammates. Not bad for a Plan B.
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