Seria A side Atalanta beat Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to capture the UEFA Europa League trophy on Wednesday.
This was the first European competition trophy for Atalanta in the club’s history. On the other hand, Leverkusen suffered its first loss since May 2023 and ended its unbeaten streak in all competitions after 51 games.
Despite being the underdogs, Atalanta was in control from the very start of the match. Nigerian international striker Ademola Lookman gave the Italian club the lead in the 12th minute before adding another goal in the 26th minute. Lookman went on to complete a hat-trick in the 75th minute to give Atlanta a 3-0 lead, which proved to be the final result of the game.
It was a special moment for Atlanta’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, who won its first trophy of any kind after 20 years of a managerial career. Speaking with reporters after the match, Gasperini pointed out the impressive run that his team had en route to the Europa League win.
“I think we wrote history, also for the way we won it,” Gasperini said. “It was just extraordinary, we defeated Liverpool, Sporting who won the championship. When we faced Liverpool they were first in the Premier League. And now the German champions. Incredible. The boys were extraordinary, a memorable performance.”
