- Europa League, Conference League Final Fixtures Confirmed After Villa Triumph
- Crystal Palace booked historic Conference League final spot
- Freiburg and Rayo Vallecano secured dramatic victories to reach European finals.
Aston Villa have qualified for the 2026 UEFA Europa League final after a dominant semi-final performance at Villa Park, while Crystal Palace also booked a historic place in the UEFA Conference League final.
Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the second leg of their semi-final clash to complete a convincing 4-1 aggregate victory.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that England striker Ollie Watkins opened the scoring in the 36th minute to hand the hosts control of the encounter. Emiliano Buendía later doubled Villa’s advantage from the penalty spot after a VAR review confirmed the decision.
Captain John McGinn sealed an emphatic night for Unai Emery’s side with two late goals in quick succession, scoring twice within three minutes as Villa comfortably progressed to the final.
German side Freiburg secured the other Europa League final ticket after edging Braga 4-3 on aggregate.
Freiburg claimed a dramatic 3-1 victory in the second leg, with Lukas Kübler scoring twice while Johan Manzambi also got on the scoresheet. Braga’s task became more difficult after they were reduced to 10 men early in the game.
The German club held on to book a first-ever European final meeting against Aston Villa.
The UEFA Europa League final is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 20, at the Beşiktaş Stadium in Istanbul.
In the UEFA Conference League, Crystal Palace continued their impressive European campaign with a 2-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, sealing a 5-2 aggregate win.
An own goal from Pedrinho handed the Premier League side an early lead before Ismaïla Sarr added another goal in the second half to confirm Palace’s place in the final.
Spanish side Rayo Vallecano also progressed after securing a disciplined 1-0 away victory over Strasbourg, completing a 2-0 aggregate triumph.
Alemão scored the decisive first-half goal as Rayo Vallecano kept a clean sheet to advance to the final.
Crystal Palace will now face Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday, May 27, at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, with both clubs aiming to win their first major European trophy.
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