The Prince of Wales has been snapped screaming in disbelief as his Aston Villa side beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final.
Prince William cut a nervous figure as he entered the Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul this evening.
He could even be seen clasping his hands together as if he was praying for luck to be on his side.
After a cagey first 40 minutes, both sets of players looked content to head into the break level, until Lucas Digne ran across to take a late corner for the Villains.
The French defender passed it short to Morgan Rogers, who delightfully picked out Youri Tielemans in the box, and the Belgian hammered the ball into the bottom corner, firing William’s side into the lead as ecstasy in the Villa end ensued.
The Prince of Wales was absolutely a member of the 11,000 crazed Villa supporters, as he screamed with delight and clenched his fists.
Just two minutes later, Argentine Emi Buendia, the hero of the semi-final in which William attended earlier this month, curled the ball beautifully into the top corner, setting off another roar of celebration from the Villa faithful.
The Prince of Wales has been snapped screaming in disbelief as his Aston Villa side beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final
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GETTY
The Prince of Wales was absolutely a member of the 11,000 crazed Villa supporters, as he screamed with delight and clenched his fists.
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GETTY
Just 15 minutes into the first half, and Buendia would swap goalscorer for provider, as he swept the ball into the box for Rogers, who tapped home to secure their historic victory.
The resounding win means Villa lift their first piece of silverware since 1996, and boss Unai Emery extends his extraordinary record in the competition, as he won his fifth title.
They also become the first European champions of the campaign, with the Champions League and Conference League finals yet to be played.
The resounding win means Villa lift their first piece of silverware since 1996, and boss Unai Emery extends his extraordinary record in the competition, as he won his fifth title
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REUTERS
It marks Villa’s greatest achievement in the Prince of Wales’s lifetime, with their last European triumph coming all the way back in 1982 – the scenes at the end did it justice
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REUTERS
William, who made the 3,500-mile round trip solo despite his son, Prince George, seemingly adopting his father’s love for Villa, could be seen proudly applauding the efforts of his team, who won the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.
It marks Villa’s greatest achievement in the Prince of Wales’s lifetime, with their last European triumph coming all the way back in 1982 – the scenes at the end did it justice.
The usually-composed boss Emery could be seen on the shoulders of goalkeeper Emi Martinez, as Jadon Sancho and Rogers led the celebrations by dancing in a circle.
The prince has followed the European journey from the beginning, watching on in horror as the Villains conceded a shambolic goal against Austrian side RB Salzburg in this year’s group stage – they went on to miraculously win the game 3-2.
And earlier this month, the Prince of Wales struggled to contain his emotions as the side in claret-and-blue overcame a 1-0 deficit on aggregate against Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest with a thumping 4-0 semi-final victory at Villa Park.
William roared with emotion, while cameras spotted him leaping into the air, thrashing his arms, and screaming with pure joy.
But William’s journey back to the UK tonight will undoubtedly be one filled with jubilation and delight, as he celebrates the end to Villa’s lengthy trophy drought, and they did it in style.