Nigerian Ademola Lookman’s stunning hat-trick on Wednesday sealed a 3-0 win over German champions Bayer Leverkusen in a pulsating Europa League final played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Lookman’s man-of-the-match performance ended Atalanta’s 61-year wait for a trophy and Xabi Alonso Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run.
The Super Eagles winger and Atalanta hero produced a masterclass of finishing in the 12th, 26th and 75th minutes to hand Gian Piero Gasperini his first trophy as a coach, and Atalanta’s second major trophy since their Coppa Italia win in 1963.
It was third time lucky for Lookman, having lost the Africa Cup of Nations’ final to hosts Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan in February, and the Coppa Italia final to Juventus just over a week ago.
This time, in Dublin, there was no stopping the Nigerian who chose to represent his home country rather than England, where he was born and had played for their Under 20s team.
The 26-year-old London-born Nigerian winger became only the sixth player to score a hat-trick in a European final, the first since Jupp Heynckes for Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup.
Speaking to TNT Sports after his heroics, Lookman, who is also the first African player to score a hat-trick in the final of a major UEFA competition, described it as “one of the best nights of my life.”
“Amazing performance from the team, we did it, we did it, we did it! Not got much else to say, but yeah, fantastic. They do always say third time lucky, so yeah, it is for us today (winning a final at the third attempt this season). I’m just happy we won. We won today, so yes, (I’m) very pleased,” he said.
For Atalanta’s 66-year-old coach, it was a first trophy worth the wait after over two decades in coaching. Gasperini also becomes the oldest winning manager in Europa League final history.
“I think we wrote history, also for the way we won. It was just extraordinary, we defeated Liverpool, Sporting, who won the championship. When we faced Liverpool they were first in the Premier League… And now the German champions. Incredible. The boys were extraordinary, a memorable performance,” Gasperini said.
The final also featured two other Nigerians in the Leverkusen team: Bundesliga Rookie of the Season, Victor Boniface, and Nathan Tella.
For Xabi Alonso’s German invincibles, the Europa League final might have been a bridge too far, but he expressed pride in what his Leverkusen team have achieved in a record-breaking season.
“Yes for sure this season and achievements have surpassed all expectations. I was hoping and getting ready to maybe do something great but this has been so much more.
“To (have) achieved what we have for a club like Leverkusen is great. To be in the last week of the season having lifted the Bundesliga and playing today we couldn’t make it and then going for the Pokal (German Cup) too means a lot. First year as a coach, it is going quite well,” he told TNT Sports.
