Ademola Lookman, the winger for Atalanta, had a fantastic game, but Bayer Leverkusen's hopes of going the whole season unbeaten and winning three titles were still far off.
Rather, Lookman was the unsung hero in Atalanta's 3-0 Europa League final triumph against Leverkusen on Wednesday thanks to a hat trick.
The recently crowned German champions suffered an unexpected loss when Atalanta, who had defeated Liverpool 3-0 in the semifinals, ended their unbeaten run of 51 European games.
Lookman, a London native who plays for Nigeria internationally, took advantage of Leverkusen's errors to score twice in the first 26 minutes of the game. Leverkusen had trouble throughout the game even though they were the favorites.Lookman sealed his exceptional performance with a goal in the 75th minute.
Normally, or in a normal European final, Atalanta and their seasoned coach Gian Piero Gasperini would be hailed as a touching story in soccer. A modestly funded, well-run team from a tiny provincial town with a committed coach looking to win their first major title in 61 years while also playing attractive football.But Atalanta took on the role of the opposition, foiling Leverkusen's attempt to win a championship in Europe.
Now, Xabi Alonso, the coach of Leverkusen, must inspire his team for the German Cup final, which they will play against Kaiserslautern, a lower division team, where they are predicted to prevail.
Alonso was alone behind the dugout, watching his team lose as the clock ran down in Dublin. Ahead of the final whistle, Gasperini, still full of vitality at sixty-six, rejoiced with his players and staff.
Alonso made the critical mistake of starting Exequiel Palacios in midfield instead of Robert Andrich, as Palacios scored Atalanta's first goal without realizing Lookman was trailing him.
In the 26th minute, Lookman scored Leverkusen's second goal after they lost control in their own end once more. Leverkusen had a history of rallies, but their winning run appeared more shaky than before.
Even before to Atalanta's goals, the stadium's atmosphere was controlled by their supporters, who outsangered their German rivals despite being outnumbered.
From the beginning, both sides were tough, with Atalanta's close marking stifling Leverkusen's typical way of playing. Leverkusen found it difficult to generate quality opportunities, and the few they did have were either squandered by bad finishing or intercepted by the Atalanta defense.
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