ReutersAtalanta wins the Europa League on the expense of Leverkusen
NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 22:51
Atalanta was the primary workforce to defeat Bayer Leverkusen this season and it selected a wonderful second to take action: the ultimate of the Europa League. The Italians gained convincingly 3-0 in Dublin and gave their membership solely the second main prize on the highest degree after the Coppa Italia (1963).
Ademola Lookman scored all of the objectives. It’s the first hat-trick ever in a Europa League closing.
ReutersLookman jaagt de 3-0 achter Matej Kovár
For model new German champion Leverkusen, which is able to play the DFB Pokal closing in opposition to FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday, a novel collection got here to an finish after 51 video games with out defeat in all competitions.
Two Dutchmen in base
Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta) and Jeremie Frimpong (Leverkusen) have been contained in the strains on the kick-off of the match on the Aviva Stadium, which was constructed after the legendary Lansdowne Highway was demolished in 2007.
A 3rd Dutchman, who had imagined quite a bit in regards to the European closing, sat on the sidelines, upset. Atalanta captain Marten de Roon didn’t get well in time from the damage he sustained final week within the Coppa Italia closing in opposition to Juventus (1-0 defeat).
Professional ShotsJeremie Frimpong with a cross
De Roon, who, like Koopmeiners and Frimpong, was included within the provisional European Championship choice of nationwide coach Ronald Koeman, noticed how his clubmates instantly took the initiative and have been shortly rewarded for it.
From the again
Koopmeiners, who delivered a robust recreation, put Davide Zappacosta to work on the appropriate within the twelfth minute. His low cross was knocked in from shut vary by Lookman, who shocked Exequiel Palacios from the again: 1-0.
The quantity 5 in Serie A, who has already secured a Champions League ticket for subsequent season by means of the competitors, barely allowed Leverkusen to get well from the shock and saved the strain on. As soon as once more with outcomes and once more with Lookman within the main position.
The 26-year-old Nigerian picked up the ball after a mistake on the German aspect, rounded Granit Xhaka and drove the ball into the far nook subsequent to the hopeless Matej Kovár: 2-0, after lower than half an hour of soccer.
AFPMatej Kovar has no probability on Ademola Lookman’s shot
Alejandro Grimaldo might have shortly returned the favor, however head to head with Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso, his ball had too little peak to remain out of attain of the greedy gloves.
Leverkusen had usually saved itself from troublesome conditions final season – actually, it largely owed its incredible unbeaten run to that – however the query was whether or not that will nonetheless be attainable in opposition to a robust Atalanta.
Nipped within the bud
In any case, success coach Boniface was the membership’s high scorer with fourteen objectives within the Bundesliga, by which Leverkusen was the primary membership to stay undefeated for a complete season.
AFPLeverkusen coach Xabi Alonso gives his workforce with directions
Atalanta, nevertheless, remained near the opponent at each level on the sphere, usually nipping German attacking plans within the bud. And within the meantime, the boys of 66-year-old coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who has been in control of the workforce from Bergamo since 2016, continued to search for alternatives for the ultimate blow.
First hat-trick in Europa League closing
That got here fifteen minutes earlier than the top, when Lookman – he once more – launched himself and scored loudly: 3-0. He thus shot himself into the soccer annals with capital letters, as a result of by no means earlier than had a participant managed to attain thrice within the closing of the Europa League, which had its first version in 2010.
Shortly after Frimpong was substituted at Leverkusen, Atalanta defender Hans Hateboer introduced the variety of Dutchmen on the sphere again to 2. Nevertheless, nothing modified within the place.
