Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman scored a sensational hat-trick for Atalanta as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to win the UEFA Europa League final.
The win at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin ended Atalanta’s 61-year trophy drought, while Bayer Leverkusen’s dream of an unbeaten season in the Europa League has been shattered.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen had not lost in 51 games this season and were only two matches from perfection. They simply ran out of steam after a phenomenal season with Lookman running them ragged, opening the scoring with a back-post finish in the 12th minute.
14 minutes later, the Super Eagles player doubled the advantage with a stunning curling, as he nutmegged Granit Xhaka before bending a fantastic shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards.
He wrapped up his famous hat-trick with a powerful left-footed strike that flew into the top corner, as he becomes the first player to ever score a hat-trick in a Europa League final.
Leverkusen, whose story has been filled with amazing, dramatic comebacks, could not fashion another this time.
For Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini, this was the first major trophy of his long career. The victory also gave Atalanta only their second trophy in their 116-year history, after their 1963 Coppa Italia win.
They’ve now booked a place in next season’s Champions League, which was not yet guaranteed through Serie A.
