Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen LIVE: Ademola Lookman hat-trick wins Europa League final for Italian side
Atalanta triumphed in Dublin to end a 61-year wait for silverware
Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Atalanta triumphed in the Europa League final and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten streak.
In a display nearing perfection Gian Piero Gasperini’s side put down a marker early in the game after winning a corner. The initial ball was cleared by Leverkusen, but David Zappacosta dribbled back into the box before picking out Ademola Lookman at the back post.
Lookman’s opener increased the confidence of Atalanta who pressed high with such intensity that Leverkusen had no answer. Lookman was a nightmare for defender Edmond Tapsoba and added a second by cutting inside and curling home a right-footed shot in the 26th minute.
He completed a spectacular hat-trick with a counterattack in the second half. Gianluca Scamacca fed him into the left side of the box and Lookman blasted his strike into the far, top corner.
Leverkusen’s resistance was over and Atalanta claimed their first ever European trophy.
Relive the action below plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Ademola Lookman ends Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run and leads Atalanta to Europa League victory
Ademola Lookman’s lift-off finally brings Xabi Alonso down to earth. A player once hailed as one for the future prevents history being made, as Bayer Leverkusen are finally defeated for the first time this season. Atalanta were instead fully relishing the moment, as they won the Europa League for just the second trophy in their history, and first in six decades.
It was gloriously fitting reward for one of the most admirable football clubs on the continent over the last decade, and what European competition is supposed to be about. That was what was supposed to be said about Alonso’s Leverkusen, and it was always going to take an incredible performance to overshadow the most wanted manager in the world this season. That’s exactly what Lookman provided, scoring every goal in this emphatic 3-0 win where Atalanta never faltered. Lookman certainly didn’t. It was a hat-trick of the most divine and varied quality, to give legendary manager Gian Piero Gasperini the first trophy his adventurous career deserved.
Lookman ends Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run as Atalanta win Europa League
Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick ensure the Serie A side lifted their first ever European trophy
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Gian Piero Gasperini becomes the oldest winning manager in Europa League final history.
The 66-year-old was five the last time Atalanta won a trophy.
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Granit Xhaka, Leverkusen midfielder, speaking to RTL: “Honestly, we’re not interested in the unbeaten record. We didn’t care about that from the start. It’s about the game and unfortunately we lost a final today. That’s football. We said yesterday that it would be a difficult game. Compliments to Atalanta.”
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta coach, spoke via Uefa.com: “I think we wrote history, also for the way we won it.
“It was just extraordinary, we defeated Liverpool, Sporting who won the championship. When we faced Liverpool they were first in the Premier League... And now the German champions.
“Incredible. The boys were extraordinary, a memorable performance.”
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Ademola Lookman is the sixth player to score a hat-trick in the final of a major Uefa competition, and the first since Jupp Heynckes’ for Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 Uefa Cup.
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Atalanta’s victory was emphatic. It was a performance that will be remembered long into the future, Lookman’s hat-trick was just part of it.
Gasperini got the tactics right and the Serie A side dominated from the first whistle. It’s even more surprising given that Bayer Leverkusen hadn’t been beaten in 51 games.
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Atalanta’s hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman speaking to TNT Sports: “One of the best nights of my life. Amazing performance from the team, we did it, we did it, we did it! Not got much else to say but yeah fantastic.
“They do always say third time lucky, so yeah it is for us today [winning a final at the third attempt this season]. I’m just happy we won. We won today so yes very pleased.
“100%! We’ve got to celebrate, we made history tonight.”
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Atalanta have received the trophy and their winners medals. The party has well and truly started in Dublin and they’ll enjoy tonight. They are now history makers.
FT Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Reaction from TNT Sport commentator Ally McCoist: “What a performance! And what a level of performance for an entire 90+ minutes.
“A tactical masterclass from Gian Piero Gasperini, he asked his players to do a job tonight and they have done it and then some!
“A man of the match performance from Ademola Lookman, all three goals and the quality fo the finishes are something we will be watching for many years to come.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies