Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park to win their tie 4-1 on aggregate and move on to meet Freiburg in the Europa League final on Thursday. John McGinn scored twice in a win that turned the second leg into a celebration before Prince William was pictured pumping his fists in the stands and later joining the players in the dressing room.
Ollie Watkins levelled the aggregate scores in the 36th minute before Emi Buendia added a penalty 13 minutes after the interval, and McGinn finished the job with two goals as Villa took control. Forest had arrived with a narrow edge after Chris Wood’s penalty in the first leg, but Villa answered with a performance that left no doubt by the final whistle.
Unai Emery said William was in the dressing room with the players and with him, and added that the prince was “so happy as well.” The royal link gave the night an extra layer, with William photographed cheering from the stands during the match and then celebrating after the final whistle with the squad.
William has supported Aston Villa since he was a schoolboy, and he was born less than a month after the club’s European Cup win over Bayern Munich in May 1982. That made the atmosphere around Villa Park feel like more than a routine cup night: it was a supporter watching a team chase a place in another final after a run that extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games.
The result also closed the door on Forest’s hopes after 10 games unbeaten, with Villa’s response to that form line proving decisive. For Emery, the task now is simple enough to state and hard enough to deliver: carry a side that has rediscovered its edge into Thursday’s final against Freiburg with Mcginn at the center of it.
