Tottenham Hotspur ended their 17-year silverware drought with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Manchester United in the 2025 UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday at San Mames.
Brennan Johnson's scrappy 42nd-minute goal, the result of a deflection on Pape Sarr’s precision cross, proved enough to lift Spurs to their third European trophy – putting them on par with Liverpool as England’s most decorated clubs in UEFA Cup and Europa League history.
The goal sent Tottenham’s long-suffering supporters into raptures, capping years of heartbreak and near-misses.
But it was the defensive defiance in the final moments that sealed the night.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s breathtaking stoppage-time save from Luke Shaw’s header, followed by Micky van de Ven’s desperate goal-line clearance, preserved the lead and ensured history would be made in Bilbao.
For a team that sat 17th in the Premier League and limped through a season riddled with injuries and inconsistency, the triumph was more than just silverware – it was salvation.
It guaranteed them a Champions League berth for 2025-26, a much-needed lifeline after a season many had written off.
And for Ange Postecoglou, the manager who promised trophies in his second season, the win marked a moment of vindication.
Captain Son Heung-min, overcome with emotion as he hoisted the trophy, led a team that refused to bow to fate.
Tottenham’s breakthrough wasn’t an isolated moment – it was the exclamation point in a season where long-standing droughts across Europe finally came to an end.
In Italy, Bologna FC 1909 stunned the peninsula by lifting the Coppa Italia for the first time in 51 years, edging past AC Milan 1-0 in Rome on May 14.
Riccardo Orsolini’s late strike sparked wild scenes among the Rossoblu faithful, ending a half-century of frustration dating back to their 1974 triumph.
Under Vincenzo Italiano’s tactical acumen, Bologna combined resolute defending with a fearless mindset, earning a Europa League ticket and celebrating with street parties across Emilia-Romagna.
England saw another emotional release just two months prior, as Newcastle United ended a 70-year wait for a major trophy with a thrilling 2-1 win over Liverpool in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.
Alexander Isak’s brace flipped an early deficit, and manager Eddie Howe’s injury-free squad brought home Newcastle’s first domestic title since 1955 – a first of any kind since 1969.
The victory not only secured European football but marked a powerful moment of resurgence for a club reborn under Saudi-backed investment.
In the Netherlands, football's most improbable fairy tale unfolded in Deventer.
The Go Ahead Eagles, long viewed as Eredivisie also-rans, won their first major trophy since 1933, shocking Dutch heavyweights to claim the KNVB Cup.
Their spirited, high-energy final performance rewrote the club’s legacy and earned them a Europa League berth, triggering a wave of national admiration for a team that had waited 93 years to taste glory again.
Then came Crystal Palace, who delivered the season’s most astonishing upset by toppling Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 17.
For a club that had never won a major trophy in its 120-year history – and had lost in two previous FA Cup finals – the 2025 victory was seismic.
Eberechi Eze’s electrifying display fueled a 1-0 win that stunned City and silenced decades of doubt. Selhurst Park erupted in joy as Oliver Glasner’s underdogs rewrote the history books and claimed a long-coveted place among English football’s elite.
While not a club redemption, Harry Kane’s Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich carried a personal weight just as heavy.
After 13 years of near-misses and “almosts” with the Spurs, Kane finally hoisted a major trophy on May 4 – just 17 days before his former club ended their own drought.
The timing was poetic.
Once mocked as the best player never to win a trophy, Kane now joins Spurs in closing a long and painful chapter.
However, one major curse still stands.
Paris Saint-Germain are now poised to chase their elusive first Champions League crown, facing Inter Milan on May 31 at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Despite dominating French football for over a decade and spending billions in pursuit of continental glory, PSG remain without a European title.
Their 2020 final loss to Bayern Munich still haunts them.
Yet this season, a post-Mbappe PSG has shown a different resolve.
Homegrown talents like Warren Zaire-Emery have risen in stature, and the club’s gritty semifinal win over Arsenal hinted at a shift in mentality.
With Opta giving PSG a slight statistical edge, and Inter Milan standing in the way, 2025 could mark the final act in Europe’s season of redemption.
