Soccer
Morgan Rogers says Aston Villa will go down in history after Europa League glory
Morgan Rogers believes Aston Villa will go down in history after winning the Europa League with a 3-0 triumph against Freiburg to end their 30-year wait for a trophy.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with an exquisite volley before Emiliano Buendia doubled Villa’s advantage when he scored a wonderful curling effort in first-half stoppage time.
Rogers added a third prior to the hour mark in Istanbul as Unai Emery’s side cruised to an emphatic win to claim their first silverware since the 1996 League Cup, and 44 years after the club saw off Bayern Munich to win the European Cup.
And Rogers told TNT Sports: “It is hard to put into words. We have worked so hard for this.
“We knew we had one more game and we all delivered and we came through. It is a great moment for the fans, a great moment for the club, and it will go down in history.
“It was a great opportunity for us to go and win a trophy, and we were all really excited. We knew our tasks at hand to get the job done and we have done that.”
The victory marked a fifth Europa League triumph for manager Emery, who is set to guide Villa to a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League.
Ollie Watkins said: “It feels amazing. To perform like that was unbelievable. We really controlled the game and we punished them in the end. It is an unbelievable experience, it’s what you dream of.
“Sometimes you have ups and downs in a season, but we pulled through, pushed on, qualified for the Champions League, and now this, it’s indescribable.
“Unai was really calm today. Sometimes in the league games he can be a little bit anxious because he wants us to win, but today he was really calm and that set the tone.”
Ezri Konza paid tribute to the Villa supporters.
He said: “I don’t think it has sunk in yet. I said not long ago how much of a journey it has been at this club, seven years for me.
“We have been through a lot, ups and downs, but to finally bring back some silverware is amazing and something I cannot describe.
“Look what it means to the fans and to the players and some of us who have been here for so long. And to the fans, who have been thorough thick and thin, this is for them.”
After lifting the trophy, captain John McGinn revealed the Prince of Wales came to see the players prior to kick-off.
“He is a classy guy,” McGinn told TNT. “He was in the dressing room before the game. He is a massive Villa fan so he was never going to miss it.
“He is just a normal guy. It’s great to have his support and hopefully it continues and tonight he can have a couple of drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out at the end of the night!”
