Ademola Lookman Shines as Atalanta Beats Bayer Leverkusen in Europa League Final
Ademola Lookman was the star player as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to win the Europa League.
This victory ended Bayer Leverkusen’s amazing 51-game unbeaten run.
Leverkusen, who recently won their first Bundesliga title in 119 years, came to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium as the favorites. But Atalanta, full of energy and determination, turned the tables.
Lookman, who previously played for Charlton Athletic, scored twice in the first half and finished his hat-trick later, leading Atalanta to their first trophy in 61 years. This win came after their recent loss to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.
From the start, Leverkusen was under pressure and made many mistakes, possibly still tired from their Bundesliga celebrations. Atalanta’s intense pressing made it hard for them to recover.
In the 12th minute, Lookman took a corner that Leverkusen failed to clear. Atalanta kept the ball, and Davide Zappacosta made a strong run into the box, crossing low for Lookman to score.
Leverkusen struggled to control the game, lacking a proper forward. Atalanta’s pressure was relentless. Another mistake by Leverkusen led to Lookman’s second goal. He picked up the ball, nutmegged Granit Xhaka, and curled a shot into the bottom corner.
Leverkusen had a chance in the 34th minute with Alex Grimaldo, but he missed despite Atalanta’s goalkeeper being out of position.
Leverkusen is known for comebacks, having come from behind in 12 matches this season, but this time it wasn’t to be.
Leverkusen’s coach, Xabi Alonso, brought on striker Victor Boniface at halftime, hoping to change the game.
However, Atalanta’s pressing remained intense. Atalanta started counter-attacking more effectively, and Leverkusen had to make some crucial clearances to stay in the game.
As the second half progressed, Leverkusen had more possession, but Atalanta’s defense held strong. Just as Atalanta fans were getting nervous, Lookman sealed the win with another fantastic goal.
He made a quick run, dribbled past a defender, and fired a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner.
With 10 minutes left, Leverkusen couldn’t come back from three goals down. Alonso started resting his key players, thinking ahead to their upcoming DFB-Pokal Cup final.
