Featured Image Credit: TNT Sports & Getty
Topics: Atalanta, Europa League, Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen, Football, UEFA, Fan Reactions
Alex Brotherton
Topics: Atalanta, Europa League, Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen, Football, UEFA, Fan Reactions
Ademola Lookman made history as Atalanta ended Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run to win the UEFA Europa League final.
Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen went head-to-head in the final of the UEFA Europa League in Dublin on Wednesday, but nobody expected the match to play out like it did.
Newly crowned Bundesliga champions Leverkusen came into the match on a 51-game unbeaten run, but soon found themselves 2-0 down.
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Ademola Lookman put the Italian side ahead when he lost his marker at the back post to tuck home a cross from Davide Zappacosta.
Former Everton and Leicester attacker Lookman scored his and Atalanta's second shortly afterwards, arrowing a shot into the bottom corner after he nutmegged former Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka.
Leverkusen tried to get going in the second half, but Lookman made it 3-0 by rifling into the top corner to become the first player ever to score a hat-trick in the final of the Europa League.
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Leverkusen weren't particularly bad, but Alonso's side simply couldn't live with the intense pressing, physicality and quick attacks of their Serie A opponents.
After the second goal, Atalanta boss Gasperini was photographed doing a 'shushing' gesture in the direction of Leverkusen manager Alonso.
One fan said on X: "I would love this for him. He has worked wonders and Atalanta, the only thing missing has been a trophy of this pedigree to show for it."
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Atalanta had lost all three finals they had previously played in under Gasperini, including the Coppa Italia final against Juventus last week.
When he joined the club in 2016, Atalanta had not competed in Europe for 25 years. Since then he has done a remarkable job, turning the Bergamo club into European regulars.
However, given Leverkusen's habit of scoring late goals - they have scored 15 after the 90th minute this season - some fans thought that the 66-year-old jumped the gun with his celebration.
"There is a LONG way to go and Leverkusen do not know how to lose!" one fan wrote, while another warned: "Not too fast Piero."
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Another simply commented: "He'll regret doing that."
In the end those fears didn't matter, as Atalanta saw out a 3-0 win to clinch only a second major trophy in the club's 116-year history.