Ademola Lookman produced a European final performance for the ages as his magnificent hat-trick fired Atalanta to UEFA Europa League glory with a 3-0 victory over Bayern Leverkusen in Dublin.
Xabi Alonso's Bundesliga champions completed their undefeated league campaign with a 2-1 win over Augsburg at the weekend and they had not been beaten in any of their 51 games this term.
It meant the end of a historic effort that has captured the imagination of football fans across Europe and beyond, but Atalanta are also wonderful story.
Veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini is a tireless innovator and an expert when it comes to nurturing young talent, along with elevating gifted players who have fallen on hard times or short of their potential.
In that respect, former Everton and RB Leipzig youngster Lookman was the perfect matchwinner on the greatest night of the Serie A club’s existence. After three Coppa Italia final defeats in the Gasperini era, Atalanta can finally celebrate their first piece of silverware since 1963.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen final score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| Atalanta | 3 | Lookman 12', 26', 75' |
| Leverkusen | 0 |
Lineups:
Atalanta (3-4-3 right to left): 1. Juan Musso (GK) — 19. Beral Djimsiti, 4. Isak Hien, 23. Sead Kolasinac (42. Giorgio Scalvini) — 77. Davide Zappacosta (33. Hans Hateboer), 13. Ederson, 7. Teun Koopmeiners, 22. Matteo Ruggeri (2. Rafael Toloi) — 17. Charles De Ketelaere (8. Mario Pasalic), 90. Gianluca Scamacca (10. El Bilal Toure), 11. Ademola Lookman.
Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-3 right to left): 17. Matej Kovar (GK) — 2. Josip Stanisic (22. Victor Boniface), 4. Jonathan Tah, 12. Edmond Tapsoba — 30. Jeremie Frimpong (19. Nathan Tella), 34. Granit Xhaka, 25. Exequiel Palacios (8. Robert Andrich), 3. Piero Hincapie — 20. Alejandro Grimaldo (23. Adam Hlozek), 10. Florian Wirtz (14. Patrik Schick), 21. Amine Adil.
MORE: How many times have Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga?
As they did when they stunned Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp’s farewell tour during the quarterfinals, Atalanta made light of their underdog status. La Dea started by far the stronger at the Aviva Stadium and their pressure was rewarded when Lookman converted Davide Zappacosta's low cross to crown a lovely team move.
The Nigeria international’s second goal was a stunning solo effort as he nutmegged Granit Xhaka and fired into the bottom right corner from the edge of the area.
Alonso sent on forward Victor Boniface at halftime but Leverkusen’s usual irresistible rhythm remained elusive. Lookman's hat-trick goal 15 minutes from time was another stunner as he lashed into the top corner to end Leverkusen's dream of the improbable.
MORE: Atalanta vs. Bayer Leverkusen expert picks for the UEFA Europa League final
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen stats
| Atalanta | Stat | Leverkusen |
| 10 | Shots | 10 |
| 7 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 0.89 | Expected goals | 0.75 |
| 33% | Possession | 67% |
| 333 | Passes | 675 |
| 2 | Corners | 5 |
| 21 | Fouls | 12 |
| 4 | Yellow cards | 3 |
| 1 | Offsides | 0 |
Ademola Lookman hat-trick goal: Another brilliant strike matches Real Madrid greats
Gianluca Scamacca led the line intelligently for Atalanta all night and his well-weighted pass teed up Lookman to steal the show one more time. Oozing with confidence, he out-foxed Edmond Tapsoba with a stepover and lashed a hard left-footed shot across Matej Kovar and into the top corner.
It meant Lookman joined a very exclusive club of players to have score hat-tricks in one-legged European finals. He's just the fourth man to do so in history behind Real Madrid greats Ferenc Puskas (twice) and Alfredo Di Stefano, and AC Milan's Pierino Prati.
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Ademola Lookman second goal: Xhaka nutmegged before incredible finish
Leverkusen produced more slack play when Amine Adil headed Kovar's goal-kick back into traffic and not close enough to Florian Wirtz. Lookman was alive to the possibilities, picking up possession, dropping a shoulder and nutmegging Xhaka before finding an exquisite finish.
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Ademola Lookman first goal: Palacios caught napping
Atalanta were irresistible from the first whistle but Leverkusen's static defending for the first goal will have annoyed Alonso, as Teun Koopmeiners slotted a pass inside to find underlapping wingback Zappacosta in too much space on the right. Lookman darted to the back post as Exequiel Palacios switched off and stood still. Once the Argentina midfielder noticed the danger, it was too late and Lookman side-footed into the top corner.
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Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen lineups, team news
Sead Kolasinac passed a late fitness test and Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini is boosted by having key midfielder Marten De Roon on the bench following injury.
Atalanta (3-4-3 right to left): Musso (GK) — Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac — Zappacosta, Ederson, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri — De Ketelaere, Scamacca, Lookman.
Atalanta subs (12): Carnesecchi (GK), Rossi (GK), Toloi, Holm, Pasalic, Toure, De Roon, Bakker, Adopo, Hateboer, Scalvini, Miranchuk
Alonso has a fully fit squad to pick from ahead of the final but he is expected to tweak from the 2-2 semifinal second leg draw with AS Roma.
Matej Kovar gets the nod over first choice goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. The highly rated Florian Wirtz returns in attack.
Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-3 right to left): Kovar (GK) — Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba — Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Hincapie — Grimaldo, Wirtz, Adil.
Bayer Leverkusen subs (12): Hradedky (GK), Lomb (GK), Kossounou, Hofmann, Andrich, Borja Iglesias, Arthur, Schick, Tella, Boniface, Hlozek, Puerta.
Atalanta vs Bayer Leverkusen live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Europa League match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | CBS Sports Network, TUDN USA, UniMás | Paramount+, Fubo TUDN App, ViX, Univision NOW, |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| India | — | JioTV, Sony LIV |
USA: Europa League matches are available to stream on Paramount+ (English). New users can currently get a FREE seven-day trial. For this game there will be additional broadcast options on TUDN and CBS with Fubo also streaming all the action from Dublin and the streaming service offering a FREE trial to new subscribers.
ViX, TUDN, Univision and UniMás are the places to go for Spanish subscribers.
Canada: Every Europa League game streams live on DAZN.
UK: This match will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and streamed on discovery+. Every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match this season is available on TNT Sports for only £30.99 / month.
India: JioTV and Sony LIV are the live streaming options for this game.
If Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atalanta is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favourite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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