Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman scored a brilliant hat-trick for Atalanta in their exhilarating 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Nigerian made history at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, as he became the first African player to score a hat-trick in the final of a major UEFA competition, and the first player to score thrice in the Europa League final since it became a one-match affair.
ATALANTA HAVE DONE IT! ⚫️🔵#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/d6Tw1L3IcD
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 22, 2024
He also joined compatriots Alex Iwobi (2019) and Joe Aribo (2022) as the only Nigerians to find the back of the net in the final of a major UEFA competition, with the other two also scoring in the Europa League final.
1 – Ademola Lookman is now the first African player to score twice in the final of a major UEFA competition. Historic. https://t.co/nSRe3Blbpg
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 22, 2024
Lookman scored the opener in the 12th minute to give Atalanta a well-deserved lead. After beating his marker at the far post, the former Leicester City man fired the ball into the top corner from close range after receiving a low cross from Italian fullback Davide Zappacosta.
The Nigerian forward doubled his tally 14 minutes later with a sublime finish from just outside the area. Having found himself in acres of space, he drives towards goal before nutmegging Granit Xhaka and curling the ball into the bottom corner, beating Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar in goal for the Germans.
Changes were made at halftime by Xabi Alonso, with Nigerian forward Victor Boniface replacing Croatian defender Josip Stanisic, with Leverkusen hoping to spark another one of their famous comebacks.
However, it was not to be as Lookman heaped more misery on the Bundesliga champions with a peach of a finish in the 75th minute to clinch his hat-trick and all but seal the win and title for Gasperini’s side.
The Atalanta No. 11 received the ball from Gianluca Scamacca following a breakaway for the Italians. With just Edmond Tapsoba in front of him inside the Leverkusen box, he shifted the ball to his left before firing a superb strike into the top corner.
Lookman’s performance continued to add him to the history books, as his treble was the sixth hat-trick to be scored in the final of a major UEFA competition and the first in the Europa League since Jupp Heynckes’ for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup.
History makers 🥹🏆@johnsportraits x #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/wXYYoRhLi5
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 22, 2024
Atalanta held on for a historic win as they clinched their first-ever European title to become the first Italian team since Parma (1998–99) to win the Europa League.
For Leverkusen, the defeat meant their unbeaten run (51 games) through the season came to an end, but their hope for a historic trouble is still on as they will be facing FC Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday, May 25.
