Freiburg Schuster Reflect on Historic Run After Europa League Final Loss

Schuster urges Freiburg to focus on positives after Villa defeat 

Goals from Tielemans, Buendia and Rogers sealed a comfortable win for Villa as Freiburg fell short in their first European showpiece.

Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul to win the Europa League, ending Freiburg’s historic run in the competition...

Freiburg manager Julian Schuster told his squad to focus on what they achieved after falling 3-0 to Aston Villa in Wednesday’s Europa League final. He said the team should be proud of reaching their first ever European final, even though the result was disappointing.

Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia scored late in the first half to put Villa in control at Besiktas Stadium. Morgan Rogers added a third after the break to secure a comfortable win for the Premier League side.

“Right now, there is no happiness. We lost a final. That hurts,” Schuster told reporters. “I said before the game we believed we could win. For 40 minutes we did ⁠well, and then it changed.”

Schuster said a well-executed Villa set-piece and a defensive mistake before halftime made the difference.

“For the first goal, Villa ‌executed the set-piece well; for the second it was our mistake,” he added.

“At 2-0 down at the break, you see the real character of a team, and the boys did well.”

A dream debut season in Europe for Julian Schuster 💪#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/O7EziG3mZv

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 20, 2026

Even after the loss, Schuster said Freiburg would look back on their European run with pride. The club had never gone past the last 16 in Europe before this season, and he believes the positives of the campaign will become clearer over time.

“It ‌didn’t go our way in the end. In a few days we will appreciate what we achieved with our fans, but it is ⁠painful right now,” ⁠he said.

.