Atalanta, champion of the Europa League with three goals (3-0) from its Nigerian striker in the final in Dublin
MADRID, 22 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atalanta BC beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 this Wednesday, with a hat-trick from Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman, and thus won the 2023/24 Europa League, which meant the first continental title in the history of the Bergamasco club and has also truncated the historic undefeated streak of the German team, while taking away its dream of the treble.
At the Aviva Stadium, in Dublin, those from Bergamo started the final with more panache. Gianluca Scamacca sent a powerful header wide in the first minutes, while Xabi Alonso’s pupils tried to place their scheme on the grass of the capital of Ireland, with the versatility of the Spanish Alejandro Grimaldo being the wild card.
However, the Italian team gave no respite and soon scored 1-0. Teun Koopmeiners prevented a loose ball from going out on the right wing, turned and passed to Davide Zappacosta, who took Grimaldo’s back and entered the opposite area; He looked up and crossed low to the far post, where Lookman appeared behind Exequiel Palacios to finish with his left foot into the back of the net.
Bayer Leverkusen responded through Josip Stanisic, with a shot from the rear that the rival goalkeeper, Juan Musso, caught without problems. The aspirin team did not have any fuel, as they conceded another goal before reaching the half hour mark, as a result of a ball coming from behind and where their goalkeeper could not find anyone nearby to pass to.
Matej Kovar then chose a long pass, which ended in a loss and the ball fell at Lookman’s feet. The Nigerian striker dribbled past Granit
The German team then had a chance thanks to a run by Grimaldo on the left side, although he missed his shot at Musso, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s pupils continued with their dominance and looked for the third, as demonstrated by a left-footed shot by Charles De Ketelaere from the crown of the area and that Kovar grabbed below, well positioned.
After the break, Alonso introduced Victor Boniface, attacker, onto the field and removed Stanisic, defender. But the first scare was again from Atalanta, with a ‘death’ pass that sought De Ketelaere and that Piero Hincapié providentially cleared in the small area.
GASPERINI’S PLAN EXCEEDS ALONSO’S
Gasperini’s plan, slowing down the pace considerably, took effect while his opponent did not threaten Musso’s area. Alonso made more changes, but until the 64th minute there was no real disturbance on the ‘Dea’ goal, in a cross from Florian Wirtz on foot changed from the right side and whose objective was Grimaldo’s head, but he did not finish.
It was avoided by the Argentine goalkeeper, who received a blow and was treated by his team’s medical services for a few minutes on the pitch. That short break came in handy for Gasperini’s team, who took shelter behind and managed their advantage on the Aviva Stadium’s scoreboard, even increasing it following a counterattack in the 76th minute.
Scamacca created it, drove the ball to the Bayer three-quarter line and opened the game to the left side, where Lookman made a half-bicycle over Edmond Tapsoba to lean over and execute a left-footed shot into the far corner. It meant the sentence, although there were almost 20 minutes left, but Alonso’s men wanted the goal of honor.
Patrik Schick, who had just entered the Dublin field, came close with a backheel in the 83rd minute and went for a corner after touching an Atalanta defender. Despite that, and despite the fact that Bayer monopolized the ball in the final stretch of the match, the scoreboard no longer moved and the Leverkusen team’s unbeaten streak this season ended.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: ATALANTA, 3 – BAYER LEVERKUSEN, 0 (2-0, at halftime).
–ALIGNMENTS:
ATLANTA: Female; Zappacosta (Hateboer, 84 mins), Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac (Scalvini, 46 mins), Ruggeri (Tolói, 90+1 mins); Koopmeiners, Ederson; De Ketelaere (Pasalic, min.57), Lookman and Scamacca (El Bilal, min.84).
BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Kovar; Stanisic (Boniface, min.46), Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapié; Frimpong (Tella, min.81), Xhaka, Palacios (Andrich, min.68), Grimaldo (Hlozec, min.68); Wirtz (Schick, min.81) and Adli.
–GOALS:
1-0, min.12: Lookman.
2-0, min.26: Lookman.
3-0, min.76: Lookman.
–REFEREE: István Kovács (RUM). He yellow carded Djimsiti (min.22), Scamacca (min.35), Zappacosta (min.60) and Koopmeiners (min.70) for Atalanta, and Wirtz (min.35), Tapsoba (min. 67) and Andrich (min.73) at Bayer Leverkusen.
–STADIUM: Aviva Stadium in Dublin, 47,135 spectators.
2024-05-22 20:53:51
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