Press reviews “Lookman destroys Alonso’s dream of an unbeaten treble”
Bitter evening in Dublin: Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (l.) and national player Jonathan Tah stand disappointed on the pitch after the game
© Jan Woitas / DPA
Bayer Leverkusen suffered their first defeat of the season in the final of the Europa League. Opponent Atalanta Bergamo mercilessly demonstrated the team of the hour from Germany. This is what the media is saying about the debacle.
Bayer Leverkusen lost the Europa League final and suffered their first defeat in their 52nd competitive game of the season. The German champions lost 0:3 (0:2) against Atalanta Bergamo in Dublin. The German and international media write about this.
Deutschland
“Sports Show”: “Leverkusen’s triple dream ends in debacle”
“Kicker”: “It was clear that it would happen at some point. But the fact that Bayer 04, previously undefeated in 51 games in a row, suffered their first defeat of the season in the final of the Europa League is not without a certain tragedy.”
“Southgerman newspaper”: “The clear defeat against Atalanta only slightly puts Leverkusen’s huge success this season into perspective. They are not invincible, that is now clear. So what? This defeat, painfully enough, costs them a major European trophy, but not their reputation.”
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Italy
“Gazzetta dello Sport”: “Lookman and Gasperini write Atalanta into the history books. (…) Gian Piero Gasperini’s team managed the feat of defeating Bayer Leverkusen, who had been unbeaten for 51 games in a row, with a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman.”
“Tuttosport”: “Wonderful Atalanta, the Europa League is yours. Lookman demolishes unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.”
“Sport Corriere”: “A historic success for Gasperini’s team, which humiliated the German champions, who were still unbeaten this season, with a crazy 0-3 victory by Lookman.”
Great Britain
“Daily Mail”: “The Invincibles became The Invisibles and after 51 unbeaten duels, there was finally a chink in the armour of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. We just never thought that Ademola Lookman, who once played for Charlton, would inflict the fatal wounds in this Europa League final. Three of them, in fact.”
“The Sun”: “Lookman scores incredible hat-trick in Dublin, shattering Alonso’s dream of an unbeaten treble”
“The Guardian”: “For all the talk about Xabi Alonso’s emergence as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches, it was an experienced old hand who reaped the laurels. At 66, Gian Piero Gasperini has achieved his first masterpiece, a tangible achievement in a career in which he has done some highly impressive work away from the spotlight.”
Spain
“Brand”: “The goddess Atalanta renders Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen mortal. Lookman’s hat-trick destroyed the German team that loses the Europa League, the treble and invincibility.”
“As”: “After all the wonders of the season had been exhausted, after 51 glorious days and nights of unbeaten games, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen failed when it least should have: at the gates of a European title that now has to wait for the Spanish coach.”
Europa-League-Finale
Disappointment, frustration, emptiness: Bayer Leverkusen can still lose
France
“The Parisian”: “Bergamo topple the Invincibles in the Europa League final thanks to the genius Lookman”
Austria
“Delivery man”: “Before this Europa League final, football experts were full of praise for Leverkusen. The factory club was the measure of all things in European football, that’s what they were hearing. (…) And then Atalanta Bergamo came along in the final and, with the simplest of means, reduced the high-flyers from Leverkusen to a normal size (…).
Switzerland
“Blick”: “Nati captain Granit Xhaka and his Leverkusen team suffered their first defeat of the season. In the final of the Europa League, of all places.”
tis DPA
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