Freiburg suffered a chastening UEFA Europa League final loss to Aston Villa. - © IMAGO

bundesliga

Freiburg's historic run ends in UEFA Europa League final defeat to Aston Villa

21.05.2026

Freiburg's historic UEFA Europa League run ended in a 3-0 final defeat to English Premier League club Aston Villa at the Tüpraş Stadyumu in Istanbul.

Click here for match reaction!

Freiburg 0-3 Aston Villa
Goals: 0-1 Tielemans 41' (assist: Rogers), 0-2 Buendía 45'+3 (assist: McGinn), 0-3 Rogers 58' (assist: Buendía)

Playing in their first European final, Freiburg acquitted themselves well for long periods in the first half. Nicolas Höfler dragged wide following a Vincenzo Grifo free-kick, before Johan Manzambi tested the reflexes of Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez from distance.

However, just as the half looked destined to end goalless, Youri Tielemans crashed in a brilliant volley to break the deadlock. Moments later, ex-Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emiliano Buendía beat Noah Atubolu from range to leave Die Breisgauer with a mountain to climb.

Noah Atubolu was powerless to prevent Villa taking a 2-0 lead into the half-time break. - BERK OZKAN

It went from bad to worse for Freiburg after the restart as Morgan Rogers turned in Buendía's pass from close range with just 58 minutes on the clock.

Julian Schuster's team gave everything in the closing stages, but there was simply no way through a very well-drilled Villa outfit as the unfancied Black Forest team lost a major final for the second time in their history.

Despite the result, Freiburg's travelling fans were full of appreciation and pride at full-time, after a continental campaign that will live long in the memory.

As it happened!

0 - 3

(0 - 2)

Freiburg

FINAL

Villa

Europa League
Final Final Beşiktaş Park, Istanbul

1:15

Watch: Freiburg given hero's welcome home

Grifo: "It wasn't to be"

Speaking to RTL, captain Grifo said, "We have to say that Villa were better, and we weren't able to impose ourselves on them. When I see what the fans and we did this season and what we achieved... a lot of us played over 50 games, and we wanted to lift the trophy but it wasn't to be. The fans brought us here, and they were there for us in bad times. You play football for these moments, but we drew the short straw today.

Schuster: "It hurts right now"

"Right now, there is no happiness. We lost a final," says Schuster to German broadcaster RTL. "That hurts. I said before the game, we came into this believing we could win. For 40 minutes we did well, and then it changed. For the first goal, Villa worked the set-piece well, for the second it was our error. When you are 2-0 down at the break, you see the real face of a team, and the boys did well. It didn't go our way in the end, and in a few days we will appreciate what we achieved with our fans, but it hurts right now."

90'

+ 1

Villa lift the trophy

The winners then make the way to the podium, collect their own medals and receive the trophy.

90'

+ 1

Freiburg receive their medals

The runners-up make their way up to the podium to receive their medals. They are given a guard of honour by the Villa players and staff in the process.

Not the night he wanted

Schuster will have dreamed about this evening ending in a different way. On this occasion, it wasn't to be.

Full-time: Freiburg 0-3 Aston Villa

Freiburg's Europa League journey comes to an end with a crushing final defeat. They gave it their all and were well in the game until stunning strikes from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendía gave Villa a two-goal lead at the break. In the second period, Morgan Rogers netted a third to secure the trophy for the Villans. Despite the defeat, Julian Schuster and his players can be proud of their European adventure.

Full-time

89'

Trying until the end

The clock and the scoreline may be against Freiburg, but they are giving everything they have until the final whistle.

84'

Yellow

A foul from McGinn earns him a yellow and also gives Freiburg a free-kick in a dangerous position. Manzambi's header from the set-piece draws a brilliant save from Martínez, but he was in an offside position anyway.

84'

Yellow card

John McGinn

Tough

It has not been Freiburg's night, but the supporters have been behind their team all night.

81'

Familiar faces

A pair of former Bundesliga players make their entrance, as Sancho and Maatsen replace goalscorer Buendía and Digne respectively.

81'

Substitution

Jadon Sancho

Emiliano Buendía

81'

Substitution

Ian Maatsen

Lucas Digne

79'

Save

McGinn tries to beat Atubolu at his near post. This time, it's a good save from the Freiburg man.

75'

Close

Villa slice through the Freiburg backline and almost grab a fourth, but Buendía hits the side-netting. The English team have played some beautiful football at times.

72'

More subs

Another pair of changes from Freiburg as Makengo and Scherhant come on for Kübler and Grifo.

72'

Substitution

Jordy Makengo

Lukas Kübler

72'

Substitution

Derry Scherhant

Vincenzo Grifo

70'

Wide

Cash this time tries to curl onto into the top corner but, unlike Buendía's early stunning effort, it isn't on target.

70'

Post

A deep corner finds Onana, whose header hits the outside of the post.

69'

Pushing, but no joy

Freiburg are giving everything, but Villa aren't giving them a inch at the moment.

66'

Substitution

Amadou Onana

Victor Lindelöf

62'

A double change

Schuster tries to insert some extra energy into the side with a couple of changes. Höfler comes off, in what was his final appearance as a professional.

61'

Substitution

Lucas Höler

Nicolas Höfler

61'

Substitution

Max Rosenfelder

Philipp Lienhart

58'

Villa in dreamland

A third for Villa, as Buendía crosses and Rogers gets in front of Lienhart to poke over the line. This goal wasn't as impressive as the first two, but it was clinical all the same.

58'

Morgan Rogers

GOAL!

0:3

54'

Almost

Watkins tries to get onto the end of a ball in behind and, while he does get a foot to it, he can't direct it goalwards.

52'

Plenty of the ball

The onus is on Freiburg to now take the game to their opponents, and they are having the most possession at the moment.

50'

Lob attempt

Buendía is confident and tries to chip Atubolu from a tight angle. On this occasion, though, the goalkeeper is equal to it.

46'

Underway

Freiburg have 45 minutes left to stage a comeback.

Kick-off!

Half-time: Freiburg 0-2 Aston Villa

Freiburg are in trouble at the half-time break as they trail by two goals. They started solidly, but two stunning goals late in the opening period has put Villa in control, with Tielemans and Buendía finding the back of the net. It is not over just yet, but Freiburg require something special in the second period.

Half-time

45'

+ 3

Another stunning strike

Villa double their advantage with another fantastic strike, as Buendía picks up the ball on the edge of the area and curls a fantastic effort into the top corner. Again, Atubolu had no chance.

45'

+ 3

Emiliano Buendía

GOAL!

0:2

45'

+ 2

Ending strongly

Villa are looking for a second before the break. Freiburg have to keep things tight until the break.

41'

Villa lead

It is a fantastic effort that gives Villa the lead here. Instead of swinging one into the box, Rogers plays a corner to the edge of the area, where Tielemans volleys an effort past Atubolu. Work for Freiburg to do now.

41'

Youri Tielemans

GOAL!

0:1

39'

Positive

Nice from Manzambi, as he drives at a Villa defender, beats him with a trick and drills a cross into the box. It doesn't find anyone, but it only needed a touch.

34'

Shot

Manzambi wins the ball in the Villa half and drives forward. He tries his luck from distance, but Martínez gets down well to hold it. Freiburg will want to get him on the ball in those areas more frequently.

31'

30 minutes in

Besides Rogers' attempt that he pushed away to safety, Atubolu has been untroubled between the sticks. Freiburg, meanwhile, went close through Höfler. It has been a tight affair so far.

25'

Spell on the ball

Now it is Freiburg's turn to enjoy some possession. This will help calm them down.

21'

Booking

Cash catches Grifo in a 50-50 challenge, earning himself a yellow card.

21'

Yellow card

Matty Cash

Löw in attendance

Former Freiburg player and FIFA World Cup winner as head coach of Germany, Joachim Löw, is in the crowd tonight.

17'

Close!

Freiburg's best opening so far. A Grifo free-kick is not cleared and falls to Höfler. However, he drags his attempt wide.

15'

First Villa card

Buendía raised arm that hits Beste on the chin earns him a yellow.

15'

Yellow card

Emiliano Buendía

13'

Feeling their way in

Freiburg have not had too much of the ball so far. They are slowly getting to grips with the occasion.

10'

Wide

Watkins tries to curl one into the top corner from distance. It wasn't far away, but Atubolu is able to watch the ball go wide of the post.

Spell of possession

The English team are currently rotating the ball. Freiburg, though, are staying organised without the ball and are not leaving any open spaces.

Frantic

This has been an energetic starts from both teams. They are hungry for the trophy.

Early yellow

Treu holds McGinn back, and earns a booking as result.

Yellow card

Philipp Treu

Big stop

An early chance for Villa as Rogers takes aim, but Atubolu pushes the ball away. That was an important stop.

First chance

Already an early attempt, but Matanović doesn't time his header right, and his effort goes well past the post.

Up and running

Villa get us underway!

Kick-off!

Lining up

The teams enter the field to a raucous crowd. What an evening it promises to be!

In the tunnel

The teams are waiting to enter the pitch.

0:20

On the way to the stadium

In fact, the supporters have been cheering for their team all day.

In full force

The Freiburg fans have travelled in big numbers and are already making themselves heard.

15 minutes until kick-off

We are not far from the first whistle in Istanbul.

What the teams are playing for

The trophy has been on display in the stadium. Can Freiburg get their hands on the trophy by the end of the night?

Schuster: "We're ready"

Head coach Julian Schuster also spoke to RTL, saying: "We're ready. We've felt it the last few weeks, the anticipation, and it has got bigger and bigger, but we are ready for tonight. It's so great to see everyone here, you even recognise a few faces. It gives us strength."

Ginter: "We will leave everything on the pitch"

Ahead of the encounter, Matthias Ginter spoke to German broadcaster RTL about the feeling in the Freiburg camp ahead of kick-off. "Not only me, but everyone is looking forward to it, and we will leave everything on the pitch. We want to start well and bring our own game. We are also aware of the opposition's strength, but this is a final, it's one game, it's why we are here. I am optimistic about our chances."

Taking in the surroundings

Record Freiburg goalscorer Grifo and his teammates took a stroll on the pitch earlier this evening in the build-up to kick-off.

Filling up

The Beşiktaş Stadium, where today's game is being played, is already looking close to full. It promises to be a special atmosphere.

Freiburg team news

Julian Schuster, meanwhile, makes two changes to the outfit that defeated RB Leipzig 4-1 on the final day of the Bundesliga season. Jordy Makengo and Derry Scherhant make way, with Vincenzo Grifo and Lukas Kübler coming into the side. As such, Philipp Treu lines up on the right side of the back four compared to the left.

Villa team news

Aston Villa name the same team that beat Liverpool 4-2 in the Premier League on Friday. That means there is no space in the starting XI for former Bundesliga trio Ian Maatsen, Jadon Sancho and Leon Bailey, all three of whom are on the bench.

Freiburg starting XI

Atubolu - Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart, Treu - Eggestein, Höfler - Beste, Manzambi, Grifo - Matanović

Freiburg subs

Müller, Huth, Jung, Osterhage, Scherhant, Holer, Irié, Philipp, Günter, Makengo, Rosenfelder, Ogbus

Villa starting XI

Martinez - Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne - Lindelöf, Tielemans, McGinn - Buendía, Rogers - Watkins

Villa subs

Bizot, Wright, Mings, Elliott, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Onana, Bogarde, Bailey

0:29

Watch: Freiburg fans descend on Istanbul

1:46

Watch: Hear more from Schuster & Günter

Emery full of respect for Freiburg

"We know how good Freiburg are," warned Villa's head coach. "We know how difficult it is to get to a final. So we'll treat them with the utmost respect, like they deserve."

Maximilian Eggestein on Villa's strengths

"They're a strong team individually, but they're also very good as a unit. They have a lot of good plays, they work very well together, they've shown that in the Premier League, and they've now qualified for the Champions League. We know what we're up against, but we also have a few ideas about how we can pull this off, and hopefully we'll be able to execute those ideas well tomorrow."

Christian Günter on facing Villa

"We know we're coming up against a very strong side with outstanding individual quality and a manager with incredible experience, especially in European competitions. But in the end, those are all factors that cannot be allowed to play too big a role once you're out on the pitch. That's why I'm feeling very positive about it. In 90 minutes of football, or 120, anything can happen."

Schuster on 'special' Europa run

Speaking to Uefa after Freiburg touched down in Istanbul, head coach Julian Schuster said his side are in the final on merit. "We've deserved it," the 41-year-old affirmed. "We had some really good performances over the last rounds, and so it's absolutely amazing for me, for every one of us, also for this great football club to be here with so many supporters. It's really special."

0:21

Watch: Time to check in!

0:40

Watch: Ginter and Co. disembark

0:31

Watch: Freiburg arrive at hotel

0:05

Watch: Eyes on the prize!

Freiburg have landed

Julian Schuster and his players have arrived in Istanbul ahead of Wednesday's Europa League final. The Freiburg boss will address the media later this afternoon before putting his players through their paces at Beşiktaş Stadium.

Early Villa team news

Villa boss Unai Emery will hope to have a near full-strength squad available for Wednesday's showpiece. The 54-year-old's only current injury concern is midfielder Amadou Onana, who picked up a calf problem in the second half of Villa's semi-final first leg against Nottingham Forest.

Early Freiburg team news

For this encounter, Freiburg will be without Yuito Suzuki, who broke his collarbone in his team's clash with Wolfsburg at the start of the month. However, Patrick Osterhage is set to be available after recovering from a knee issue, given Julian Schuster plenty of options.

Tale of the tape

This is the first time these two teams have met. Villa, though, have previously faced German opposition six times, winning on four occasions - including in the final of the 1982 European Cup as they defeated Bayern Munich 1-0. Freiburg, meanwhile, have played four matches versus English clubs - all against West Ham - and have won one while drawing the other three.

Freiburg - The road to Istanbul

Like Villa, Freiburg also finished in the top eight of the league phase to avoid the play-off, ultimately finishing seventh. In the last 16, they lost 1-0 to Genk in the first leg but then roared to a 5-1 home win, before winning both games of their quarter-final with Celta Vigo. In the semi-finals, they lost 2-1 away at Braga in the first leg of the tie, conceding in injury time, yet rallied in front of their own supports to prevail 4-3 on aggregate and reach a maiden European final.

Aston Villa - The road to Istanbul

Villa breezed through the league phase, winning seven of their eight games to finish second and qualify directly for the last 16. They then defeated Lille 3-0 on aggregate, before defeating Bologna 7-1 over the two legs of their quarter-final tie. That set-up an all-English semi-final against Nottingham Forest but, despite losing the first game 1-0, they hammered their opponents 4-0 in the second leg to reach the final. While they have previously won the European Cup, they have never gone past the last eight in this competition before this season.

Final game for duo

This will be Nicolas Höfler's and Maximilian Philipp's final games for Freiburg. They will be eager to end their times at the club with an unforgettable memory. In the final game of the Bundesliga term, they said goodbye to the supporters.

Villa beat Liverpool

The English side, meanwhile, secured their own place in the 2026/27 Champions League by beating rivals Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park on Friday evening. Striker Ollie Watkins scored twice, while John McGinn and Morgan Rogers also found the back of the net.

Freiburg secure European spot

Victory against Villa would see the Black Forest side qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history, but they are at least guaranteed a Conference League spot after securing seventh spot on Matchday 34.

2:07

Freiburg 4-1 RB Leipzig - highlights

Freiburg rounded off the Bundesliga campaign with a convincing victory over Leipzig in front of their supporters.

3:25

The best of Freiburg in 2025/26

Enjoy some of the Black Forest club’s finest moments in the Bundesliga this past season.

1:38

Villa's Bundesliga connection

Jadon Sancho, Ian Maatsen and Leon Bailey all enjoyed successful spells in the Bundesliga prior to joining Aston Villa. Check out some of their best moments in Germany's top flight.

4:02

What makes Freiburg so good?

A tactical breakdown of how Julian Schuster’s side have been so successful in 2025/26.

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for joining us for build-up and live match coverage of this season's UEFA Europa League final between Freiburg and Aston Villa.

Summary

Watch: Freiburg given hero's welcome home

Grifo: "It wasn't to be"

Schuster: "It hurts right now"

Villa lift the trophy

Freiburg receive their medals

Not the night he wanted

Full-time: Freiburg 0-3 Aston Villa

Trying until the end

Yellow

Yellow card

Tough

Familiar faces

Substitution

Substitution

Save

Close

More subs

Substitution

Substitution

Wide

Post

Pushing, but no joy

Substitution

A double change

Substitution

Substitution

Villa in dreamland

Morgan Rogers

GOAL!

Almost

Plenty of the ball

Lob attempt

Underway

Half-time: Freiburg 0-2 Aston Villa

Another stunning strike

Emiliano Buendía

GOAL!

Ending strongly

Villa lead

Youri Tielemans

GOAL!

Positive

Shot

30 minutes in

Spell on the ball

Booking

Yellow card

Löw in attendance

Close!

First Villa card

Yellow card

Feeling their way in

Wide

Spell of possession

Frantic

Early yellow

Yellow card

Big stop

First chance

Up and running

Lining up

In the tunnel

On the way to the stadium

In full force

15 minutes until kick-off

What the teams are playing for

Schuster: "We're ready"

Ginter: "We will leave everything on the pitch"

Taking in the surroundings

Filling up

Freiburg team news

Villa team news

Freiburg starting XI

Freiburg subs

Villa starting XI

Villa subs

Watch: Freiburg fans descend on Istanbul

Watch: Hear more from Schuster & Günter

Emery full of respect for Freiburg