Aston Villa’s Europa League Win and Guessand’s Unique Opportunity
In Istanbul, under the lights and with history humming in the background, Aston Villa finally got their hands on major silverware again. A 3-0 dismantling of Freiburg in the Europa League final ended a wait stretching back to 1996 and pushed Unai Emery level with the greats of European coaching.
Yet somewhere beneath the noise of celebration and the statistics of dominance, another story quietly stirred – one involving a player who did not even set foot on the pitch.
Emery’s Villa dominate on the big stage
Villa were ruthless at Besiktas Park. They struck twice before the interval, both goals worthy of the occasion.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with a stunning effort, the kind of strike that underlines why he has long been considered a midfielder built for European nights. Emiliano Buendia then doubled the advantage, adding a second with another eye-catching finish as Freiburg struggled to live with Villa’s tempo and precision.
By half-time, Emery’s side looked in complete control. They stayed there.
On 57 minutes, Morgan Rogers stepped up to make absolutely sure. His goal pushed Villa into an unassailable 3-0 lead, and from that point the final became a procession. Villa controlled the contest, dictated the rhythm and never allowed their German opponents a way back.
The victory delivered Villa’s first major trophy in three decades and added yet another chapter to Emery’s remarkable relationship with this competition. The Spaniard has now won the Europa League five times, equalling the record for the most successful manager in the tournament’s history. It is a body of work that cements his reputation as a specialist on the European stage.
But while the headlines naturally belong to the men on the pitch and the architect in the dugout, the implications of this win stretch far beyond Birmingham.
Guessand’s unlikely shot at European history
Evann Guessand was nowhere near the starting XI in Istanbul. He was not even in the squad. Yet Villa’s triumph could be the first half of something no player in European football has ever achieved.
The Ivory Coast international joined Villa from Reims last summer in a permanent deal worth an initial £30.5 million, one of only two senior permanent signings the club made in that window. He featured in the Europa League group stage, making seven appearances and scoring twice. Those minutes were enough to qualify him for a winners’ medal.
Then his season took a twist.
In January, Villa sent Guessand on loan to Crystal Palace. A new league, a new manager, a new system – and another European journey. Palace pushed through the knockout rounds of the Conference League and booked their place in the final, where they will face Rayo Vallecano next Wednesday.
Guessand played his part there too, making five appearances in Palace’s run to the showpiece. On paper, that opens the door to something extraordinary: a Europa League winner with Villa and a Conference League winner with Palace in the same season.
No player in European football history has ever lifted two different continental competitions in one campaign.
Injury scare and a late return
The dream almost vanished in March. Guessand suffered a knee injury during Palace’s Conference League quarter-final against Fiorentina, a setback that threatened to cut short his season at the worst possible moment.
He fought his way back.
On Sunday, he returned to action, coming off the bench in stoppage time during Palace’s 2-2 draw with Brentford. It was a brief outing, but a crucial one – proof that he is back in the frame just as the biggest game of Palace’s season looms into view.
If Palace beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final, Guessand will stand alone in the record books: the first man to collect winners’ medals from two different European competitions in the same season, with two different English clubs.
If they fall short, he will still have a Europa League medal and a story that almost broke new ground.
A crossroads summer ahead
Beyond the chase for history, this is a career at a turning point. The 24-year-old is reportedly set to join Crystal Palace permanently in the summer. The club, preparing for life after departing manager Oliver Glasner, will need new pillars to build around. A forward who has tasted two European finals in one season – even from different vantage points – offers exactly the kind of experience and resilience that can anchor a new era.
Villa’s night in Istanbul belonged to Tielemans, Buendia, Rogers and Emery. The noise, the trophy, the photographs – all theirs.
But somewhere between Birmingham and south London, Evann Guessand now walks towards a final that could redraw a small but fascinating corner of European football history. One more win, and the forgotten man of Villa’s triumph becomes the name attached to a record no one else has ever owned.
