Forty-two years. Four goals. Six minutes of the Holte End singing one man's name. Aston Villa are going to Istanbul.
Unai Emery's side didn't just beat Nottingham Forest — they buried them. A 4-0 win at Villa Park, 4-1 on aggregate, and suddenly the club that last stood in a European final when Margaret Thatcher was in her first term is standing there again. The noise inside Villa Park by the end was the kind that makes the hairs on your arms do something embarrassing.
Forest, to their credit, came into this second leg knowing they needed a miracle. They didn't get close to one. Villa were composed, clinical, and at times simply too good — the kind of performance that makes you wonder why anyone ever doubted Emery's project in the first place.
The 1982 European Cup final. That's the last time Villa were here. A different city, a different continent, a different era of football entirely. Since then, the club has been through relegations, administrations, near-misses and a whole catalogue of heartbreak. This is the other side of all of that.
Emery has done this before — Europa League finals are not unfamiliar territory for him personally — but for this club and this fanbase, there is nothing to compare it to. The Holte End sang his name for nearly six minutes after the final whistle. He stood on the pitch and let it wash over him. He didn't rush back to the tunnel.
Freiburg await in Istanbul on May 20. A final that, written down, might not set the neutral's pulse racing — but for everyone connected to Aston Villa, the opponent is almost beside the point right now. They're in a European final. Say it plainly. Aston Villa are in a European final.
Forty-two years. Four goals. Six minutes of the Holte End singing one man's name. Aston Villa are going to Istanbul.
Bronnen
UEFA.com
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