Aston Villa to Face Freiburg in Europa League Final After Semifinal Victory

• Villa will play Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final

• Crystal Palace are set to take on Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final

• Villa coach Unai Emery has won the Europa League title four times

John McGinn scored twice as Aston Villa routed Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League on Thursday, securing a spot in their first major European final in 44 years.

McGinn’s second-half goals, both left-footed shots from the edge of the area, capped a dominant display at Villa Park during the second leg of the all-English semifinal. The local crowd, including Prince William, delightedly sang “Sweet Caroline” after the final whistle.

Villa advanced 4-1 on aggregate and will face German club Freiburg in the final set for May 20 in Istanbul. Freiburg secured their spot by defeating 10-man Braga 3-1, advancing 4-3 on aggregate.

This marks Villa’s first major European final since 1982, when they triumphed over Bayern Munich in the European Cup.

Villa coach Unai Emery holds an impressive record, having won the Europa League title four times—three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.

Emiliano Buendía played a crucial role in the game, assisting the opening two goals. He maneuvered past several defenders and delivered a low cross for Ollie Watkins, who tapped in the opener from close range in the 36th minute.

Watkins managed to score shortly after receiving a bandage for a head injury sustained during a clash with Forest defender Morato.

Buendía added a second goal from the penalty spot in the 58th minute. McGinn then made it 3-0 in the 77th minute and scored his second just three minutes later.

Freiburg Beats Braga

Freiburg overturned a 2-1 deficit from the opening leg after Braga’s Mario Dorgeles received a straight red card in the seventh minute for a foul on Jan-Niklas Beste, who was through on goal.

The Bundesliga team struck first in just 12 minutes, with Lukas Kübler scoring one of his two goals, capitalizing on a defensive error that saw a clearance bounce off his knee into the net.

Before halftime, Johan Manzambi doubled Freiburg’s lead with a curling shot from outside the area. Kübler added his second goal in the 72nd minute, making it 3-0 before Braga found a consolation goal through Pau Víctor.

This will be Freiburg’s first European final.

Crystal Palace into Conference League Final

In the third-tier Conference League, Crystal Palace advanced to its first European final after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in the semifinal second leg, winning 5-2 on aggregate.

As a result, English clubs will be represented in all three European title matches, with Arsenal set to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

Crystal Palace will meet Rayo Vallecano in the final on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany, following Rayo’s 1-0 win over Strasbourg, securing a 2-0 overall victory.