Birmingham, 08 May (H.S.): Aston Villa delivered a masterclass on Thursday, demolishing Nottingham Forest 4-0 to advance to the Europa League final with a 4-1 aggregate victory in the semifinals.

In the showpiece on May 20 in Istanbul, Villa will confront Freiburg, who edged Braga 3-1 in the second leg for a 4-3 overall win.

Trailing 0-1 from the first leg, coach Unai Emery's squad erupted at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring in the 36th minute, capitalizing on Emiliano Buendia's exquisite move.

Buendia doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 58th minute after referee awarded it for Nikola Milenkovic tugging Pau Torres' shirt.

Captain John McGinn then sealed a one-sided affair with strikes in the 77th and 80th minutes, sending the 43,000-strong Villa Park crowd into rapture. Britain's Prince William, among the spectators, visibly celebrated the triumph.

Aston Villa's last European crown came in 1982 as European Champions, with their most recent major trophy—the 1996 League Cup. Emery, a four-time Europa League winner, now eyes a first with an English club.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar