Two of the more entertaining teams in Europe met in Dublin on Wednesday, where Gian Piero Gasparino’s Atalanta ended Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten season via an Ademola Lookman hat trick.
Lookman scored goals in the 12th, 26th, and 75th minutes to deliver Atalanta its biggest triumph since the 1962-63 Coppa Italia. The match was Atalanta’s first Europa League final but it hardly looked that way. Isak Hien and Sead Kolasinac thrived in the back three, and Gianluca Scamacca was a handful for Leverkusen’s back line, helping Lookman to do his thing.
Leverkusen was seeking its second UEFA Cup, having outlasted Espanyol over two legs in the 1987-88 competition when it was also titled the UEFA Cup, but never really got going as Atalanta’s press kept them off-balance from the jump.
Xabi Alonso’s side has been phenomenal, completing an unbeaten Bundesliga season and sitting two matches — this Final and the German Cup Final versus second-tier Kaiserslautern — from an unbeaten season in all competitions.
Atalanta is in its first Europa League Final. The Italian club is still coached by club legend Gian Piero Gasperini, who would further etch his name in club lore by giving La Dea its biggest triumph since the 1962-63 Coppa Italia.
That would be huge, as Atalanta looks set to return to the Champions League next season, currently fifth on the Serie A table with a match-in-hand on sixth and seventh.
ATALANTA LIFT THEIR FIRST-EVER EUROPEAN TROPHY 🏆 pic.twitter.com/08Hzptlouk
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2024
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen: How to watch Europa League Final live, stream link, TV
Kick off: 3pm ET Wednesday
TV Channel: Paramount Plus
Online: Paramount Plus
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen live score, updates: 3-0
Goalscorers: Lookman (12', 26', 75')
Ademola Lookman hat trick — Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen (75th minute)
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN WITH THE FIRST HAT-TRICK IN #UELFINAL HISTORY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/b3pg4M8Pt7
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2024
Ademola Lookman goal — Atalanta 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen (26th minute)
ADEMOLA LOOKMAN GETS HIS BRACE 💥
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2024
Dream start to the #UELFinal for Atalanta 🤩 pic.twitter.com/6xjqsYqt1R
Ademola Lookman goal — Atalanta 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen (12th minute)
IT ONLY TOOK ADEMOLA LOOKMAN 12 MINUTES TO GIVE ATALANTA THE LEAD IN THE #UELFINAL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8JojIHJogn
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2024
Atalanta lineup
👥 Il nostro 11 per la finale di @europaleague!
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) May 22, 2024
🫵 Here’s our line-up for the #UELFinal!#AtalantaBayer04 #UEL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/lJ12jCMtfa
Bayer Leverkusen lineup
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙓𝙄 𝙫𝙨 @Atalanta_BC
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) May 22, 2024
Your Europa League Final #Werkself. 🏆🖤❤️#ATAB04 | #Bayer04 #UELfinal #ForOurDream pic.twitter.com/UQKAc8FXFW
Focus on Atalanta, team news
This is a different Atalanta from the one that first made waves under Gasparini. The club that sold Rasmus Hojlund last season has also sold Cristian Romero, Robin Gosens, Gianluca Mancini, Amad Diallo, Papu Gomez, and Timothy Castagne over the past few seasons.
The club’s received goals from all around the team this season, as Teun Koopmeiners, Gianluca Scamacca, and Charles De Ketelaare all breached the double-digit goals mark in league play. Atalanta has its own Ederson, a 24-year-old midfielder, who is collecting accolades and will be widely-pursued this summer.
They are missing Marten de Roon and Sead Kolasinac.
Focus on Bayer Leverkusen, team news
This is an incredible team, really. Alex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong are deadly coming wide out of the back, while midfielder Florian Wirtz is one of the most sensational talents in the world. Granit Xhaka has thrived in the center of the park since his move from Arsenal and Victor Boniface is an effective forward.