Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia each produced stunning strikes to give Aston Villa a 2-0 lead over Freiburg in the Europa League final.
Villa went into Wednesday’s showpiece in Istanbul as the heavy favourites to secure their first trophy in 30 years against a Freiburg side playing in their first European final.
Freiburg were not overawed by the occasion, however, and Villa had struggled to break them down for much of what was a cagey first half for long periods, with Unai Emery’s men creating few opportunities after Morgan Rogers tested Noah Atubolu early on.
But Villa found the breakthough in sublime fashion in the 41st minute from a perfectly executed set-piece routine, with Rogers’ well-weighted cross met by a brilliant Tielemans volley that flew into the bottom-left corner.
Villa quickly piled on the pressure in search of a second as Freiburg struggled to clear their lines, and Buendia took full advantage of the Bundesliga side’s inability to do so as he doubled the lead with a remarkable finish three minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Buendia, known for a penchant for long-range finishes, was left in far too much space on the edge of the area and shifted the ball onto his weaker left foot before curling a magnificent strike beyond a helpless Atubolu to put Villa on the brink of a first trophy since 1996 and leave Freiburg with a mountain to climb.
