With all eyes falling on Dublin on Wednesday night, Atalanta sprung a famous upset at the Aviva Stadium as they were crowned Europa League champions thanks to a remarkable 3-0 romp against Bayer Leverkusen.
While the German record-breakers might have travelled to Dublin in the midst of an iconic 51-match unbeaten run across all competitions, Xabi Alonso’s men failed to find any kind of fluidity.
With Ademola Lookman tapping home at the back post after just 12 minutes, it was the one-time Everton star who certainly stole all of Wednesday’s headlines.
Doubling La Dea’s lead midway through the first-half thanks to a stunning solo effort from the edge of the box, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men didn’t show any signs of sitting back after returning from the interval.
With Leverkusen unable to live with Atalanta’s extreme intensity, Lookman eventually wrapped up an iconic Europa League final hat-trick in the final 15 minutes as he powered past a helpless Matej Kovar.
Although Leverkusen might have gained a reputation this season for their astonishing late comebacks, the Bundesliga champions could not fashion another this time.
On a night when Atalanta were crowned European champions for a maiden time, we have taken a look at the main talking points from Dublin.
Atalanta crowned Europa League champions
Although Atalanta might have opened the New Year in the midst of a real wobble, La Dea have come roaring back in an astonishing fashion and were certainly a more than worthy winner on Wednesday night.
Despite being tipped as a real underdog when they arrived in Dublin, Gasperini’s men wrote themselves into the Europa League history books and made what was an iconic statement in the Irish capital.
Making a major Europa League statement back on April as they stormed their way to a 3-1 aggregate victory against English giants Liverpool, the Bergamo-based outfit have enjoyed a remarkable fairytale.
Blowing a record-breaking Leverkusen out of the…
Source link : https://www.soccernews.com/atalanta-3-0-bayer-leverkusen-what-were-the-main-talking-points-as-la-dea-are-crowned-europa-league-champions-in-dublin/371858/
Author : Tom Dunstan
Publish date : 2024-05-23 08:33:28
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.