News Focus
- Aston Villa claim Europa League crown with 3-0 victory over SC Freiburg
- Julian Schuster admits his team only performed well for the first 40 minutes
- Freiburg coach praises Villa’s perfect execution for the opening goal
- German side secures spot in next season’s Conference League despite final loss
Aston Villa crushed SC Freiburg’s dreams of a first major trophy on Wednesday night. The Premier League side secured a convincing 3-0 win in the Europa League final.
Manager Julian Schuster spoke to RTL after the heavy defeat. The 41-year-old confessed he felt no joy following the match.
“Only the first 40 minutes reached our usual standards,” Schuster explained. He added that the result “hurts a lot”.
The Freiburg boss praised Aston Villa for their quality. He pointed to Youri Tielemans’ opening goal as an example of perfect football. The goal came from a short corner routine.
“They executed it optimally,” Schuster said. He noted that his team gave Villa too much space.
Schuster also analysed the second goal, scored by Emiliano Buendía before half-time. He called it a clear mistake from his players.
“We rushed back to our positions too quickly after the second ball,” he stated. This left his team outnumbered at the back.
The second half began better for Freiburg. However, Schuster stressed they needed an early goal to change the game. “Unfortunately, it was not enough,” he admitted.
Despite the pain of defeat, Schuster found positives. Freiburg will compete in the Conference League during the 2026/27 campaign.
“Today gives us experience to improve,” he concluded. “We now know exactly where we stand and what we must do next.”