Thanks to a hat-trick from Nigerian Lookman, Atalanta ended Leverkusen’s good run and conquered the Europa League.
Atalanta holds the first European trophy in its history. In Dublin, this Wednesday, the Bergamo team won the Europa League by taking over Leverkusen. A victory which cannot be contested, as the Lombards flew over this meeting (3-0).
One man was the great architect of this demonstration of force, in the person of Ademola Lookman. In verve, the Nigerian scored all three goals of the match. A resounding and unprecedented feat at this stage of the event.
Lookman inspired Atalanta
The African vice-champion started his show from the 12e minute, emerging at the far post to take a low cross from Zappacosta. A quarter of an hour later (26e), he did it again following a magnificent solo action. A full-axis breakthrough, followed by a curling shot into the top corner. Finally, at 75e minute, he completed his team’s success with a cross shot after being found by Scamacca on a counterattack.
Leverkusen will therefore not have been able to contain Lookman. More generally, the German team missed everything it did in this part, creating almost no clear chances. Were Wirtz and his teammates inhibited by the stakes in Dublin? This is the most plausible explanation given the poor copy rendered.
Xhaka and Leverkusen were unrecognizable
Leverkusen falls from a great height
The German champion saw his streak of matches without invincibility come to an end perhaps at the worst possible moment. Xabi Alonso’s team remained undefeated in 51 matches. However, he still has a trophy to go for. It will be next Saturday in the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern.
Atalanta, for its part, can savor this lovely triumph. It makes him forget his defeat last week against Juventus in the Italian Cup. Gian Piero Gasperini also won the first title of his career. He did it at age 66. Better late than never !
