Atalanta have made history by dominating the Europa League Final with an Ademola Lookman hat-trick to end Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten record in a Gian Piero Gasperini masterclass.
This was La Dea’s first ever UEFA Final, but only a week after losing the Coppa Italia Final to Juventus. Gianluca Scamacca was suspended for that game and returned here in an all-attack team, missing only Marten de Roon and Emil Holm. Bayer were unbeaten in 51 competitive matches, a new European club record, had already won the Bundesliga and on track for a Treble ahead of the German Cup Final with Kaiserslautern on May 25. As in the semi-finals against Roma, Xabi Alonso benched Victor Boniface for a False 9 approach.
See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.
Gianluca Scamacca saw his header on a Matteo Ruggeri cross charged down from point-blank range by Piero Hincapie and Atalanta took the lead after their first corner was not cleared effectively.
Davide Zappacosta pulled back from the by-line and Ademola Lookman was in space to side-foot into the roof of the net first-time from eight yards, getting there before Exequiel Palacios.
ATALANTA TAKE THE LEAD AGAINST LEVERKUSEN! 💥
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 22, 2024
Alex Grimaldo hit a fresh-air shot from the edge of the box and Scamacca fired over, but it was 2-0 when Amine Adli’s misplaced header on a goal kick came to Lookman, who nutmegged Granit Xhaka and bent the right-foot finish into the far bottom corner from the edge of the area. The Nigerian became the first African to score two goals in a major UEFA Final.
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN IS RIPPING UP THE SCRIPT! 😳
Atalanta lead Leverkusen 2-0 in this #UELfinal
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 22, 2024
Grimaldo got it all wrong again with a weak lob into the arms of Juan Musso, while Charles De Ketelaere saw his effort smothered after a cross-field Scamacca pass.
Boniface came on for the restart, but Atalanta defender Sead Kolasinac went off with a left calf injury. Piero Hincapie flung himself in the way to stop a De Ketelaere tap-in on the roll across from the left and Jeremie Frimpong volleyed over from 12 yards.
Musso was alert to pluck a Wirtz dinked pass off the head of Grimaldo at the back post, but just as Bayer Leverkusen were pushing hard, Lookman completed his hat-trick.
He gathered from Scamacca, took on Edmond Tapsoba with a step-over and blasted into the far top corner with his left foot from a tricky angle. More history was made, the first man to score a hat-trick in a Europa League Final.
A HAT-TRICK FOR LOOKMAN IN THE FINAL!
TAKE A BOW 👏
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 22, 2024
Wirtz fired straight at Musso and Patrik Schick’s back-heel flick was deflected over, while Atalanta kept the clean sheet as Adam Hlozek blasted just wide.
Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Lookman 13, 26, 75 (A)
Player statistic
| Ademola Lookman (Assist: Davide Zappacosta) |
 |
12' | ||
| Berat Djimsiti |  |
22' | ||
| Ademola Lookman | |
26' | ||
| Gianluca Scamacca | |
35' | ||
| 35' | |
Florian Wirtz |
| Davide Zappacosta | |
60' | ||
| 67' | |
Edmond Tapsoba | ||
| Teun Koopmeiners | |
70' | ||
| 73' | |
Robert Andrich | ||
| Ademola Lookman (Assist: Gianluca Scamacca) |
|
75' |
Match statistic
What a performance.
Wow so proud of Atlanta. Italian team has not won Europa for over 2 decades. So if Atalanta finished outside of Too4, does it mean Roma qualify for Champion League?