In a seismic shock that reverberated across European football, Bayer Leverkusen's extraordinary 51-match unbeaten run was brought to a crushing halt by a devastating Atalanta performance in the Europa League final in Dublin.
Ademola Lookman etched his name into Italian football folklore with a stunning hat-trick, single-handedly dismantling the German champions in a 3-0 victory that will be remembered as one of the great final performances.
The End of an Era
Xabi Alonso's previously invincible side, who had secured their first-ever Bundesliga title without a single defeat, finally met their match in Gian Piero Gasperini's tactically brilliant Atalanta. The Italians executed a perfect game plan, suffocating Leverkusen's creative players and exploiting space on the counter-attack with ruthless efficiency.
The writing was on the wall from the 12th minute when Lookman opened the scoring, and any hopes of another characteristic Leverkusen comeback were extinguished when the Nigerian winger added two more superb second-half goals.
Lookman's Night of Glory
The former Everton and Charlton Athletic forward produced a career-defining performance on the grandest stage. His first goal saw him cut inside and fire powerfully into the corner, while his second was a moment of pure technical excellence, volleying into the roof of the net from a precise cross.
Lookman completed his hat-trick – the first in a Europa League final since 1975 – with another superb finish, leaving Leverkusen players and fans in a state of disbelief.
Tactical Masterclass from Gasperini
Atalanta's victory represented the culmination of Gian Piero Gasperini's eight-year project in Bergamo. His aggressive, man-marking system completely neutralised Leverkusen's attacking threats, with Florian Wirtz and Alejandro Grimaldo notably subdued throughout the contest.
The Italian side's intensity never dropped, and they thoroughly deserved what marked their first European trophy in the club's 116-year history and first major silverware since 1963.
For Leverkusen, the dream of completing an entire season unbeaten across all competitions is over, though they still have the chance to secure a domestic double when they face Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final this weekend.
