After 44 years, Aston Villa are back in a European final, with Emiliano Martínez and Emiliano Buendía playing important roles in the team’s run.
Aston Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park to reach the Europa League final, where they will play Freiburg in Istanbul.
After losing the first leg 1-0, Villa needed a comeback at home. Nottingham Forest started Nicolás Domínguez in midfield, but the home team took control of the match after the opening goal.
Late in the first half, Buendía made a good play before assisting Ollie Watkins for the first goal, tying the series on aggregate.
Villa continued to attack in the second half and Buendía scored the team’s second goal from the penalty spot to give Aston Villa full control of the semifinal.
Emiliano Martínez did not have much work during the match, but the Argentina goalkeeper once again started in an important European game for Aston Villa as the club reached its first continental final since 1982.
Buendía continues to finish the season strongly as he looks to compete for a place in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
