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FC·FINAL·May 7, 2026 05:00 PM ET

Aston Villa edge Nottingham Forest, book Europa League final date with Freiburg

Villa back in a European final after All-English semi.

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated May 71 min read
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via FabrizioRomano

What happened: Aston Villa eliminated Nottingham Forest across two legs to reach the UEFA Europa League final, per Fabrizio Romano. Emiliano Buendía starred in the second leg with a goal and an assist in 86 minutes against Forest. Villa will meet Freiburg in the final.

Why it matters: It is a landmark European night for Villa, who continue a strong continental run alongside their Premier League top-four push. For Forest, the defeat ends a remarkable cup campaign that had run parallel to a five-win league surge to safety. The result also locks in the Europa League final pairing of Aston Villa vs Freiburg.

What to watch: Attention turns to the Europa League final against Freiburg and how Unai Emery rotates ahead of Villa's Premier League top-four run-in. Forest must regroup with European qualification still in play domestically.

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SoccerBreakingAston VillaNottingham ForestFreiburgEmiliano BuendíaUnai Emery
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