Dublin. Atalanta, with a hat trick from their Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman, gained their first Europa League and ended Bayer Leverkusen’s streak of 51 video games with out shedding this season by successful 3-0 this Wednesday in Dublin.
Lookman acquired the sport again on monitor with two objectives within the first half (minutes 12 and 26), earlier than signing the ultimate sentence within the seventy fifth minute and securing an unappealable victory even if Leverkusen arrived as theoretical favorites.
“It was not our day and we now have to just accept it. We now have to congratulate Atalanta, who deserved to win,” admitted the Germans’ coach, the Spanish Xabi Alonso.
The trophy of this Europa League will accompany within the Atalanta showcases the opposite title that the entity gained in its historical past, the Italian Cup within the now distant 1963, when lots of the followers present ones had not even been born.
The trail adopted to the title offers much more luster to the success achieved, since in earlier rounds additionally they removed historic groups equivalent to Marseille, Liverpool and Sporting Lisbon.
“You may’t be content material with defending in a recreation like this. We knew that they [el Bayer Leverkusen] They’re very sturdy in assault, however maybe not so sturdy whenever you power them to defend. “The whole lot has gone nicely from the start,” celebrated Atalanta’s iconic coach, Gian Piero Gasperini.
This Wednesday’s pleasure additionally erases the frustration of the ultimate misplaced per week in the past by Atalanta itself, which was defeated by Juventus within the decisive match of the Italian Cup.
For Italian soccer, it’s its first title within the Europa League because it was renamed that means within the 2009-2010 season. The final group from the nation to carry the trophy had been Parma in 1999, when it was nonetheless known as the UEFA Cup.
51 events
For Leverkusen, their tally of video games with out shedding all through this season stops at these 51, all of them from the 2023-2024 season till the ultimate in Eire.
The streak was in any case historic, since no European membership had managed to string collectively such a variety of video games with out shedding in all competitions for the reason that creation of the UEFA European tournaments in 1955-1956.
Bayer Leverkusen’s final defeat in an official match dates again to the final day of the Bundesliga final season, after they have been overwhelmed by Bochum.
After this setback in Dublin, Bayer Leverkusen, which gained its first German championship title this season, can have the mission of ending the season with a nationwide double. To take action, they’ll search victory on Saturday towards Kaiserlautern (second division) within the German Cup ultimate in Berlin.
Each Leverkusen and Atalanta got here into the match certified for the subsequent Champions League.
Pageant Lookman
On the grass of the Aviva Stadium, the Italians’ coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, wove a spider internet that contained Leverkusen. And Lookman’s inspiration did the remainder.
Within the twelfth minute, after a nook kick was poorly cleared by the German protection, Lookman went forward of Argentine Exequiel Palacios to reap the benefits of a ball served by Davide Zappacosta on the far submit.
That objective brought about emotional harm to the Germans and it was even worse when a lack of ball within the heart of the sphere ended with a ball to Lookman, who dribbled previous Granit Xhaka and from the sting of the world despatched a robust shot with which he beat Matej. Kovar.
Within the second half, Leverkusen put extra strain however ended up giving up when Gianluca Scamacca led a counterattack by which the ball went once more to Lookman, who this time removed Edmont Tapsoba earlier than ending with a brand new cross shot, this time with the left foot, to make the ultimate 3-0 within the seventy fifth minute.
“I’m very, very, very blissful. We now have made historical past all collectively. That is unimaginable,” Lookman celebrated.
The triplet confirms his personal resurrection. Wandering from membership to membership lately, Lookman present in Atalanta and Gasperini’s belief the right elements to point out his expertise and enter the historical past of the emblematic Lombard membership.
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– 2024-05-27 14:48:13
