Ademola Lookman dashed Bayer Leverkusen's dream of a historic unbeaten treble by scoring a sensational hat trick, leading Atalanta to a 3-0 victory in the Europa League final in Dublin.
The former Everton and RB Leipzig forward, 26, delivered the performance of his career, helping Gian Piero Gasperini's team secure their first European trophy and handing Leverkusen their first defeat of the season in any competition.
Leverkusen's unbeaten streak had spanned 51 games and 361 days, dating back to a 3-0 loss against VfL Bochum in May 2023.
"It wasn't lost in terms of attitude, it was a football thing," said Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso. "It happens, it's football, today wasn't meant to be. They were better."
Leverkusen aimed to win their second European trophy and their first since the 1988 UEFA Cup, the predecessor to the Europa League.
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| Bayer Leverkusen's hopes of a historic unbeaten season in all competitions were dashed by Atalanta. Image Photo Agency/Getty Images |
"It's exceptional what we have done. Today is painful, but it is deserved as well," Alonso remarked. "These defeats in a final, you don't forget them. We had a big chance, we put everything on today, but it didn't go as planned. We weren't at our best level and we will learn from today. How we deal with the pain will be a challenge for us."
Leverkusen had clinched their first-ever German title this season, winning 28, drawing 6, and losing none of their 34 league games. They were poised to become the first team in European football history to win three major trophies without defeat, aiming to add the Europa League and DFB Pokal (German Cup) to their Bundesliga crown.
However, Atalanta, who eliminated Liverpool in the quarterfinals and defeated Marseille in the semifinals, dominated from the start. Lookman gave them a 2-0 halftime lead and sealed the memorable victory with an outstanding individual goal in the 75th minute.
Leverkusen's recent ability to salvage draws from losing positions kept the game alive until Lookman's third goal ended any hope of a late comeback.
Although their unbeaten treble quest fell short, Leverkusen still has a chance to achieve an unbeaten double if they defeat second-tier Kaiserslautern in Saturday's German Cup final in Berlin.
"It's our first defeat of the season, so it will be a test of how we deal with it because we have a big game on Saturday," Alonso added. "Normally, it happens earlier in the season, but when it happens in such a big game, it hurts. But we have to use this pain in a positive way. It's football—the normality is not to lose the first game in the 52nd game."
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