Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in emphatic fashion as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendía inspired a 3-0 victory over Freiburg in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

Unai Emery’s side took the lead late in the first half in Istanbul through Tielemans’ thunderous volley.

Buendía doubled Villa’s advantage with a sublime curling effort seconds before the interval.

Morgan Rogers added a third in the second half to complete the rout of the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European title in 44 years.

Villa’s famous European Cup final victory over Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe’s goal in Rotterdam, has long stood as the defining moment in the club’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current crop were determined to follow in the footsteps of that celebrated generation.

Now Tielemans, Buendía, John McGinn, and their teammates can share the rarefied company previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink, and the rest of the famed Class of ’82.

Fittingly, with Withe and Mortimer watching from the stands, Villa defeated Freiburg while wearing white shirts instead of their traditional claret and blue — just as they did against Bayern Munich in 1982.

Villa’s long-awaited continental triumph was the latest Europa League masterclass from Emery, who has now won the competition five times following his successes with Sevilla in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and with Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said earlier this week that he did not see himself as the “king” of the Europa League, but his side’s coronation received the royal seal of approval from Villa supporter Prince William, who celebrated alongside around 20,000 ecstatic fans at the Beşiktaş Stadium.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, another prominent Villa supporter, also joined the celebrations, sending a goodwill message to the team before kick-off.

It has been a memorable end to the campaign for Villa, who secured qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League with victory over Liverpool last week.

Such success would have seemed improbable earlier in the season when Villa endured a six-match winless run and scored only twice during that difficult spell.

Villa’s first victory of the season came in the Europa League against Bologna, the beginning of a run that saw them record 13 wins in 15 matches in the competition, culminating in a ruthless demolition of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite suffering defeats in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024, the Champions League quarter-finals, and the FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery remained convinced Villa would eventually shed their reputation as nearly men.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unwavering belief has now been richly rewarded.

The Europa League triumph further underlined Villa’s remarkable revival since Emery took charge in October 2022, when the club was languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Relegated to the second tier in 1987 and again in 2016, and having lost their previous four domestic finals before arriving in Istanbul, Villa have endured turbulent years since lifting the European Cup.

Those painful memories were finally erased on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Villa dominated from the outset and should have taken the lead in the opening minutes when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers.

Tielemans eventually broke Freiburg’s resistance with a moment of brilliance in the 41st minute.

Rogers sparked the move in a cleverly worked short-corner routine, lofting a pinpoint cross towards Tielemans, who timed his run perfectly before smashing a superb volley past Atubolu from just inside the penalty area.

It was only Tielemans’ second goal of the season and his first since December.

Even the Belgian midfielder’s stunning strike, however, was overshadowed by Buendía’s exquisite finish.

After Freiburg failed to close him down on the edge of the area, Buendía curled a majestic effort into the far corner.

Rogers put the result beyond doubt in the 58th minute, sliding in to convert Buendía’s cross as Villa’s long-awaited celebrations erupted into full swing.