Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta reached dreamland in their Europa League final with Bayer Leverkusen, giving the German side their first defeat of the season in dramatic fashion.
Atalanta ratings
Musso – 6 – Didn’t have too much to do but was still focused when called upon.
Kolasinac – 7 – A strong first-half performance from the former Arsenal man, winning seven duels and helping keep things controlled at the back. (46’ Scalvini – 6)
Hien – 7 – A confident and positive evening for the 25-year-old Swede, who kept his defence in check to limit Bayer Leverkusen’s threats.
Djimsiti – 6.5 – The quietest member of the three-man backline, the veteran defender still did what was needed and avoided any major errors.
Ruggeri – 7 – The Italian barely put a foot wrong of the left side of the pitch, putting in a shift both offensively and defensively. (91′ Toloi – N/A)
Koopmeiners – 6.5 – Whilst he’s been a key figure this season for Atalanta, he was relatively quiet in the final, doing just enough to help maintain control in the midfield.
Ederson – 8 – A dominant force for Atalanta, the 24-year-old was all over the pitch, pressing with intensity and shutting things down in the centre, proving a frustrating figure for Bayer Leverkusen.
Zappacosta – 7 – Positive going forward and confident on the back foot, the veteran wing back was an important part of Gasperini’s system in the must-win match. (84′ Hateboer – N/A)
Lookman – 10 – The obvious star of the show. The Nigerian striker netted the first ever Europa League final hattrick to drive Atalanta to glory. A historically impressive performance.
De Ketelaere – 6 – A solid but fairly forgettable evening for the Belgian talent, whose only real highlight was a decent shot in the first half. (57′ Pasalic – 6)
Scamacca – 7 – Whilst he didn’t get on the scoresheet, the Italian striker was an important part of the press for la Dea and his hold-up play helped bring in his teammates. (84′ Toure – N/A)
Bayer Leverkusen ratings
Kovar – 5.5
Tapsoba – 6
Tah – 5
Hincapie – 6
Stanisic – 5.5 (45′ Boniface – 5.5)
Palacios – 6.5 (68′ Andrich – 6 )
Xhaka – 6
Grimaldo – 6 (69′ Hlozek – 6)
Frimpong – 5.5 (81′ Tella – N/A)
Wirtz – 6 (81′ Schick – N/A)
Adli – 6
Did you watch the match? Where is scalvini?
The 4 centre-backs that played were all very solid.
Lookman was motm, but Ederson was excellent too.
Great performance by all players. Top tactics by Gasperini.
All the Atalanta players were exceptional on the day!
Remember “winning is not everything, it is the only thing” as Vince Lombardi used to say.