Atalanta broke Bayer Leverkusen’s hearts and ended their unbeaten run of 51 games to win the 2023/24 Europa League. They become the first Italian team since Parma in 1999 to win the Europa League, thanks to their 3-0 victory in Dublin tonight.
A scintillating performance from Ademola Lookman saw him score a wonderful hat-trick, which included a clever finish from inside the box, a long-range strike into the bottom corner and an emphatic finish into the top right corner.
Atalanta played German champions Leverkusen off the park, pressing them so well and rendering their ball-playing ability out from defence useless. It was a tactical masterclass from Gian Piero Gasperini, who has turned this Atalanta side from mid-table obscurity to European champions; he has done an incredible job so far.
It was a relatively easy night’s work for the Italian side, with Leverkusen playing nowhere near the standard people have come to expect. Xabi Alonso’s side could not get a foothold in the game.
The decision by Alonso not to pick a recognised striker such as Patrick Schick or Victor Boniface could well have worked against them in the grand scheme of things. Had he picked one of that duo, the night could have had a very different feel to it.
It was a disappointing night for Alonso and his side, who ended up falling to their first defeat of the season, in the penultimate game. They have one more match to go, a DFB Pokal final against Bundesliga 2 side FC Kaiserslautern.
Want to know how each player performed today? Here are our player ratings from the final.
Atalanta player ratings
GK – Juan Musso – 7
Not much to do, but solid when called upon. A clean sheet in a European final is more than commendable.
CB – Beret Djimsiti – 6
Led well from the front, and although he struggled at times in duels against the likes of Boniface, helped ensure his side kept a clean sheet.
CB – Isak Hien – 7
Strong in his duels and won both of his tackles. A solid showing at centre-back in a European final.
CB – Sead Kolasinac – 7
Dealt with the pace of Frimpong well in the first half, who looked to get in behind him on occasion, and was too physical for the Dutchman to be able to cope with. Had to go off injured at halftime.
RWB – Davide Zappacosta – 8
Pressed superbly all night and offered great support to De Ketelaere down the right-hand side. Dealt well with Grimaldo, too. Constantly up and down the flank.
CM – Ederson – 9
Everywhere in a midfield battle against Xhaka and Palacios who have been wonderful all season. Pressed relentlessly, superb in duels and great on the ball. An engine in the middle of the park.
CM – Teun Koopmeiners – 8
Like Ederson, Koopmeiners was excellent in midfield, constantly pressing and showing his quality on the ball. A top performance from one of the most enterprising midfielders in Europe.
LWB – Matteo Ruggeri – 7
Pressed well like fellow wing-back Zappacosta, and offered an outlet on the left-hand side for Atalanta to use. Worked hard in his duels, too. A good showing overall from the wing-back.
AM – Charles De Ketelaere – 7
Found joy in the right half-space, got on the ball often in the first half and linked up well with the overlapping Zappacosta.
AM – Ademola Lookman – 10
The first player to score a hat trick in a single-leg Europa League final. Deadly all night, relentlessly running at Taposoba and scored three impressive goals. Sublime performance.
ST – Gianluca Scamacca – 8
Brilliant in duels especially in the air, and linked up play well, too. Capped off his night with a deserved assist to Lookman as he sealed his hat trick. Showed his class all night long.
Subs
Giorgio Scalvini – 6
Came on as a half-time sub for Kolasinac, and put in a commanding performance to help marshall his side through to the end of the game. Helped to keep Wirtz quiet.
Bayer Leverkusen player ratings
GK – Matej Kovar – 5
Conceding three in a European final is not ideal, but there was not much he could do for any of them.
CB – Edmond Tapsoba – 3
A very tough evening for the defender, who could not handle Lookman at all and was run ragged by the Nigeria international. A night to forget.
CB – Jonathan Tah – 4
Struggled up against Scamacca, who created the third goal for Lookman with a nice assist. His first loss as captain this season.
CB – Piero Hincapie – 4
Like his fellow centre-backs, he struggled and was constantly pinned back by the likes of Zappacosta when being pressed.
RWB – Josip Stanisic – 4
Struggled to get into the game at right-wing back, and had a tough evening dealing with the dangerous Lookman. Replaced by Boniface at halftime.
CM – Exequiel Palacios – 4
Caught ball-watching for the opener to allow Lookman to sneak in behind him and convert from eight yards. Worked hard in midfield for the rest of the game.
CM – Granit Xhaka – 4
A shadow of his usual self this season. Could not find his range of passing and struggled in some of his midfield duels. Nutmegged by Lookman for his second goal.
LWB – Alejandro Grimaldo – 4
Had a golden chance to pull one back for his side at 2-0 down in the first half, but his attempted dink over the goalkeeper was comfortably saved. His set-piece delivery was surprisingly poor too.
AM – Jeremie Frimpong – 5
Playing a very unfamiliar role tonight, ran the channels well but struggled against the physicality of Kolasinac.
AM – Florian Wirtz – 4
Could not get into the game at all, and didn’t have much of an impact in the final third. Kept quiet by Scalvini in the second half.
ST – Amine Adli – 3
Struggled up against the physicality of Atalanta’s back three, and didn’t get a sight of goal all night. A frustrating evening.
Subs
Victor Boniface – 4
Brought on at half-time to help spearhead the Leverkusen attack, and whilst he made himself a presence up front, got no service and didn’t get a clear-cut opportunity in front of goal.
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ByAngus Sinclair