Aston Villa Dominate Nottingham Forest to Reach UEFA Europa League Final, Will Face Fiorentina

Aston Villa crushed Nottingham Forest at home, securing a spot in the UEFA Europa League final final to face Fiorentina. In the second leg of the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League semi-final on May 7, Villa opened Villa Park against Nottingham Forest, who had won the first leg 1-0.

In the first half, Villa created opportunities but Nottingham's goalkeeper Stefan Ortega made crucial saves. Villa broke through in the 36th minute when Emiliano Buendía drove down the left flank and squared the ball for Ollie Watkins, who finished cleanly to make it 1-0. Watkins had another chance in the 38th minute but Ortega turned away his shot.

The second half saw Villa take control completely. In the 56th minute, VAR confirmed a penalty after Nikola Milenković pulled down Pau Torres in the box, and Buendía converted to make it 2-0. In the 70th minute, Nottingham threatened when Chris Wood broke through but Aston Villa's goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made a crucial save.

Villa sealed the tie with two more goals. In the 77th minute, John McGinn fired in from close range to make it 3-0. McGinn struck again in the 80th minute with his left foot to complete a 4-0 victory and a 4-1 aggregate triumph.

This is Villa's first European cup final appearance and only their second in club history, with their previous European Cup triumph coming in the 1981-82 season, 44 years ago.

In the other semi-final, Fiorentina defeated Braga 3-1 at home to win 4-3 on aggregate and reach their first European cup final in club history.

The final between Fiorentina and Aston Villa will be held at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey on May 20.