Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta finally found a way to break through the previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen, as a performance from the ages courtesy of Ademola Lookman took the Italian side to UEFA Europa League glory. Lookman was unplayable, with his brand of directness, trickery and lethal finishing resulting in a hat-trick and one of the best individual European final displays of all time.
Ademola Lookman’s astonishing hat-trick saw Atalanta end Bayer Leverkusen’s tilt at an invincible Treble, with the Italians’ 3-0 win sending the UEFA Europa League trophy back to Bergamo.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men dominated from the first whistle and took the lead on 12 minutes, Lookman firing home from 12 yards having got the run on his marker.
Then, on 26 minutes, Lookman did it again, curling a low finish into the far corner from the edge of the box having nutmegged Granit Xhaka.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen just couldn’t get going and on 75 minutes, Lookman hammered home an incredible finish at the end of sharp counter to seal Atalanta’s triumph.
TALKING POINT – ATALANTA’S PERFECT PERFORMANCE
As a species, we watch a lot of football and we watch a lot of sport. We do that for lots of reasons, and if ever we want to remind ourselves of them, we could do a lot worse than sit down and rewatch the game we’ve just seen.
Footballistically speaking, as Arsene Wenger likes to say, we saw a perfect performance; Atalanta imposed their will upon a champion side, and Ademola Lookman conjured a performance for the aeons.
But there was more to it than that. In Atalanta, we saw individuals combine into a team and seize an opportunity to create the moment of their lives; and a family club from a small city communing in a moment of collective love and ecstasy. Football: not bad.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (ATALANTA)
Given the ludicrousness of what he did, it feels ludicrous to enumerate it, but here we go: three goals, three sensational finishes, and a performance of aggression, invention and total joy.
PLAYER RATINGS
Atalanta: Musso 7; Djimsiti 7, Hien 7, Kolasinac 7; Zappacosta 9, Ederson 9, Koopmeiners 9, Ruggeri 7; De Ketelaere 8, Scamacca 8, Lookman 10. Subs: Scalvini 9, Pasalic 7, Toure 6, Hateboer 6, Toloi 6.
Leverkusen: Kovar 5; Stanisic 5, Tah 6, Tapsoba 4; Frimpong 4, Xhaka 5, Palacos 5, Hincapie 4; Wirtz 5; Grimaldo 4, Adli 5. Subs:Boniface 6, Andrich 6, Hlozec 6, Tella 6, Shick 6.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
12’ – GOAL! ATALANTA 1-0 LEVERKUSEN (LOOKMAN) Lookman’s corner is cleared but Atalanta recover possession and Koopmeiners finds a clever reverse-pass that sets Zappacosta free down the right! He looks up to look at Lookman, making a run that Palacios misses, back to his man and ball-watching, as Lookman cleverly opens body in the process of guiding a rising finish just inside the near post and just under the bar! The underdogs lead and they deserve to lead!
26’ – WHAT A GOAL! ATALANTA 2-0 LEVERKUSEN (Lookman) WANDSWORTH IN THE HOUSE! Spooked by the press, Kovar kicks long but doesn’t get hold of it, one pass from Koopmeiners finding Lookman in space, left of centre, 25 yards from goal. So he megs Xhaka with a feather-touch – that’s gorgeous – then opens body again, this time to pass a delicious finish that curls low into the far corner! What a moment for the boy who everyone missed! That is one of the great goals!
35’ – THISIS LEVERKUSEN! Grimaldo and Wirtz exchange passes, the former into the latter, who wedges a delectable return over the top and Grimaldo’s in! And for reasons known best to himself, Musso hares all the way out; a simple chip and Leverkusen are back in the game! But perhaps distracted by the keeper’s behaviour, all Grimaldo can do is plop a poor effort straight at him; that should’ve been 2-1.
64’ – BETTER FROM LEVERKUSEN: Xhaka finds Wirtz down the right and he throws a pair of lollipops to take him away from two men so he can curve a tempter to the far post, where Grimaldo escapes his marker … only to feel the full force of Musso, who collects the ball and hurts both of them.
75’ – OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER ABSOLUTE DAYS! WHAT A GOAL! ATLANTA 3-0 BAYER LEVERKUSEN (LOOKMAN) This starts in the Atlanata half, Pasalic winning a challenge and finding Scamacca, who surges through centrefield and has Lookman outside! Send him! Send him! SEND HIM! But Scamacca hangs on, then eventually passes a ball that’s behind; no matter. Lookman collects, steps over, and sends Tapsoba off to Selhurst, dips outside, and hurls the entire force of the cosmos into the a ludicrous hat-trick finish that screeches and shrieks into the far top-corner. Ademola Lookman has scored a hat-trick in the Europa League final!
89′ – AND LOOK AT THIS! Lookman, on the touchline and facing towards the crowd, inside his own half, back-flicks through Tapsoba’s legs; this is bullying now.