Ademola Lookman scored a sensational hat-trick as Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday, winning only the second major title in their 117-year existence and ending the German champions’ incredible unbeaten record.
Lookman, who battled to establish himself in the English Premier League with Everton, Fulham, and Leicester City before re-establishing his career in Italy under Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini, scored twice in the first 26 minutes and sealed the game 15 minutes into full time.
Gasperini’s team defeated Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen team, nicknamed “Neverlusen” due to their 51-game unbeaten streak. This win brought a stop to their two-decade major title drought.
Just as they had done in the previous two rounds against Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and three-time finalists Olympique de Marseille, Atalanta gave their opponents no chance, winning their first European final with a remarkable victory.
Lookman’s first goal came from an unusual moment of unawareness on the part of Exequiel Palacios, who hesitated as Davide Zappacosta crossed, seemingly paying little attention to anyone following him. Lookman was then able to steal it in front of Palacios.
The first goal was a spectacle of Leverkusen’s carelessness and Lookman’s brilliance combined. Lookman repeated the magic with the second goal by collecting a loose ball, cutting infield and nutmegging Granit Xhaka to fire out a flawless finish inside the far post.
During the second half, Leverkusen held more possession of the ball but was unable to exert consistent pressure. With only fifteen minutes remaining, the final glory unfolded. Gianluca Scamacca led a break and shovelled a pass to Lookman, who fired a victorious goal into the top corner winning Atalanta the final.
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