Atalanta also became the first Italian club to win the UEFA Europa League title.
Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, made history as he scored a hattrick for Atalanta as the Italian side thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, to clinch the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League on Wednesday night.
He scored in the 12th minute, tapping in Davide Zappacosta’s cross into the box, followed by a powerful shot from outside the box in the 26th minute with a third from a curler in the 76th minute to seal victory for the Italian team.
Lookman, with the incredible performance on the night, has already inked his name in Atalanta’s history book as the club secured their second-ever top flight title with the Europa League title win, which came 61 years after the Italian side lifted the Coppa Italia title in 1963.
Atalanta also became the first Italian club to win the UEFA Europa League title, with Lookman becoming the first player to score in a major European cup final for the club.
It was an unfamiliar result for Xabi Alonso’s German champions side as Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten record across all competitions ended after 51 games, a defeat spearheaded by Lookman.
Speaking after the triumph, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini said: “It’s not just that we won, it’s how we won!. We’ve beaten Liverpool when they were top of the PL table, Sporting and now Bayer Leverkusen… we are extremely proud”.
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