Tag: Freiburg

Aston Villa ended their 30-year trophy drought in style as spectacular goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia inspired a 3-0 win against 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.

Buendia increased Villa’s advantage with a sublime curler seconds before the interval.

Morgan Rogers’ second-half goal finished off the outclassed Germans, sealing Villa’s first silverware since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European prize for 44 years.

That famous European Cup final upset of Bayern Munich in 1982, secured by Peter Withe’s goal in Rotterdam, has stood as the most iconic moment in Villa’s 152-year history.

But Villa’s current stars were determined to follow in the footsteps of the club’s golden generation.

Now, Tielemans, Buendia, John McGinn and company can share the rarified air previously reserved for Withe, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Nigel Spink and the rest of the Class of ’82.

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

Villa’s long-awaited continental conquest was the latest Europa League masterclass for Emery, who has now won the tournament five times, following victories with Sevilla in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and Villarreal in 2021.

Emery said this week that he didn’t feel like the “king” of the Europa League, but his team’s coronation got the royal seal of approval from Villa fan Prince William, who was celebrating along with around 20,000 ecstatic supporters in the Besiktas Stadium.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, another famous Villa fan, joined the party, sending a good luck message to the team before kick-off.

It has been a memorable finish to the campaign for Villa, who sealed qualification for next season’s Champions League with a win against Liverpool last week.

Villa’s success over the last six days would have been impossible to imagine when they started the season with a run of six matches without a win, scoring just twice in that dismal streak.

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Their maiden win this season came in the Europa League against Bologna, the first of 13 victories in 15 games in the competition that culminated in their ruthless demolition of first-time European finalists Freiburg.

Despite losing in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals in 2024, and the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals last year, Emery was convinced Villa would eventually cast off their ‘nearly men’ tag.

The 54-year-old Spaniard’s unshakable faith has been rewarded.

The Europa League triumph underlined Villa’s impressive renaissance since Emery took charge in October 2022 with the club languishing just three points above the relegation zone.

Relegated to the second tier in 1987 and 2016 and beaten in their previous four domestic finals prior to arriving in Istanbul, Villa have endured some torrid times since winning the European Cup.

Those miserable memories were banished forever on an unforgettable night on the banks of the Bosphorus.

Villa dominated from the start and should have been ahead in the opening moments when Noah Atubolu denied Rogers.

Tielemans shattered Freiburg’s resistance with his moment of magic in the 41st minute.

Rogers was the catalyst in a clever short corner routine, lofting a pin-point cross towards Tielemans, who timed his run perfectly to slam a brilliant volley past Atubolu from just inside the area.

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

Even the Belgian midfielder’s rocket had to take a back seat to Buendia’s gem.

Setting his sights on the edge of the area after Freiburg failed to close him down, Buendia curled a majestic finish into the far corner.

Rogers put the result beyond doubt in the 58th minute, sliding to convert Buendia’s cross as a Villa party three decades in the making went into full swing.

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Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 4-0 home win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday to lock in Champions League qualification for next season.

Maximilian Beier, Serhou Guirassy, Ramy Bensebaini and Fabio Silva all scored for Dortmund, who are 10 points clear of fifth-placed Hoffenheim with three games to play.

Dortmund drew 1-1 with Freiburg earlier in the season, but have now scored three goals or more against the Black Forest club in eight of their past nine meetings.

“We’ve made sure of the Champions League, so of course now we want to lock in second spot,” Beier told DAZN. “The sun is shining, we’ve qualified for the Champions League, it feels good.”

Freiburg sit in eighth place but are through to the Europa League semi-finals, where they face Braga.

Dortmund lead after just eight minutes as Bensebaini lofted a long pass over the midfield to an onrushing Beier, who collected the ball before guiding a shot across the face of the goal.

They added another six minutes later when Guirassy turned in a lovely dipping pass from Julian Brandt.

Bensebaini headed in a Julian Ryerson corner just after the half-hour mark. Ryerson now has 13 assists this season, nine of which have come from corners.

Freiburg’s hopes of kick-starting a comeback took a hit when Lukas Kuebler’s goal was chalked off by VAR for offside 10 minutes into the second half.

Silva added a late fourth for only his second Bundesliga goal.

Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Werder Bremen, denting their hopes of a return to the Champions League.

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Stuttgart’s top-four rivals, Leipzig, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen all won this weekend to up the pressure on the German Cup holders.

Bremen’s Jens Stage continued his rich run of form, putting the visitors ahead early before Ermedin Demirovic levelled four minutes after coming on in the second half.

Stuttgart sit in fourth place with three games remaining. They are level on points with Hoffenheim but ahead on goal difference, while Leverkusen are lurking two points behind.

Stuttgart still have to play Hoffenheim and Leverkusen, as well as Eintracht Frankfurt.

“In the end, that’s just not enough. In the fight for the Champions League, especially at home, we need to secure every three points available to ensure everything remains in our own hands,” Demirovic said to DAZN. “Even though we were exhausted, we had set our sights higher. This really hurts.”

Bremen’s first point this season against a side currently in the top five left them six points clear of St Pauli, who are in the relegation play-off spot.

Stuttgart’s exertions in Thursday’s extra-time German Cup semi-final victory over Freiburg were clear early as Stage and Senne Lynen glided through the hosts’ sluggish defence.

Dane Stage put Bremen in front after 18 minutes, hitting a low first-time shot into the bottom corner after a clever one-two with Yukinari Sugawara.

The goal was Stage’s 10th this season and his third in two games.

Bremen were the better side in the opening half but the hosts wrestled back control of the game after half-time.

Substitute Demirovic headed in a floating Bilal El Khannouss cross to cancel out Bremen’s advantage just after the hour mark.

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Harry Kane will miss the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Freiburg this weekend but should be fit for their Champions League clash with Real Madrid next week, coach Vincent Kompany said Friday.

Kane missed England’s friendly defeat by Japan this week with an ankle problem and has not recovered in time to face Freiburg on Saturday.

Bayern take on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

“Harry trained well until Sunday, then he felt something in his ankle while with the national team,” Kompany told reporters.

“That will have an impact on tomorrow’s game — he won’t be available. Nevertheless, I’m positive about Tuesday. It’s not great, I’d like him to play against Freiburg, but as things stand today, that won’t be possible.”

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Bayern lead second-placed Borussia Dortmund by nine points in the Bundesliga and can take another step towards a second straight title this week. But they will be without Kane and his suspended understudy, Nicolas Jackson.

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund also confirmed that Raphael Guerreiro will leave the club at the end of the season, with Juventus reportedly interested in signing the Portugal full-back.

“Rapha will be leaving us. It wasn’t easy because he’s a great lad, has played a lot of good games, is very versatile – a great strength of his,” said Freund.

“But we’ve always said that when we make a decision, we tell the lads, so that’s what we’ve done now.”

Guerreiro has scored 12 goals in 89 appearances for Bayern since signing from Dortmund three years ago.

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MUNICH: Bayern Munich crashed out of the German Cup on Tuesday after Lucas Hoeler scored an injury-time penalty to earn Freiburg a 2-1 win and a place in the semi-finals. 

Nicolas Hoefler cancelled out Dayot Upamecano’s opening goal for Bayern before Hoeler converted from the spot late on after Jamal Musiala handled in the box.

Freiburg lost last year’s final on penalties to RB Leipzig but Hoeler was nerveless, converting the penalty to send his side through to the semis for the second year in a row.

Bayern failed to reach the last four for the third consecutive year. Freiburg are hoping to lift the German Cup for the first time.

New Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel made one change to the side which thrashed Dortmund 4-2 to return to the Bundesliga summit on Saturday, swapping in Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo for Alphonso Davies.

The home side took the lead midway through the first half when France defender Upamecano rose highest to head in a Joshua Kimmich corner.

Bayern, who put the game out of Dortmund’s reach with three goals in 10 first-half minutes on Saturday, continued to press but the visitors would be next to score.

A scuffed clearance from Bayern winger Kingsley Coman fell to Hoefler, who unleashed a screamer from outside the box to level the scores.

Freiburg however continued to sit deep under pressure, managing only the occasional foray into Bayern’s half.

With the match ticking towards extra time, Musiala’s attempt to block a shot saw the ball bounce off his arm and the referee point immediately to the spot.

Freiburg forward Hoeler stepped up and whacked the ball into the top of the net, giving Yann Sommer no chance.

Bayern, who have a record 20 German Cup titles to their name, will have the opportunity to exact revenge when they head to Freiburg in the league on Saturday.

– Kolo Muani at the double –

Earlier on Tuesday, a quick-fire double from France striker Randal Kolo Muani sent Eintracht Frankfurt through semi-finals with a 2-0 home win over Union Berlin.

Kolo Muani scored two goals in two minutes early in the first half, both assisted by Mario Goetze, and Frankfurt held on despite a late Union assault.

The win kept the Europa League holders on track for what would be a sixth German Cup win, and a first since 2018.

Kolo Muani toasted his side’s “complete victory” and credited teammate Goetze, telling German TV network ZDF “he makes everyone in the team better”.

Union travelled to Frankfurt 10 points ahead of their sixth-placed Bundesliga opponents and on course for a maiden Champions League appearance.

But Frankfurt, winless in seven in all competitions, started stronger and were 2-0 up in the blink of an eye thanks to Kolo Muani.

He scored his first in the 11th minute, latching onto a Goetze back-heel and blasting past backup Union goalkeeper Lennart Grill.

Kolo Muani soon doubled the home side’s lead, lifting the ball over an out-of-position Grill and into the net.

Kolo Muani now has five goals in four Cup matches since arriving in Frankfurt from Ligue 1 side Nantes in the summer.

Freiburg and Frankfurt will be joined in the last four by the winners of Wednesday’s quarter-finals, where holders RB Leipzig host Dortmund and Stuttgart travel to second-division Nuremberg.

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