Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten treble spoiled by Europa League final loss to Atalanta
Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman was relentless and Bayer Leverkusen’s outlandish dream of completing an whole season unbeaten with a cap trap of titles demonstrated to be fair that.
Instead, Lookman was the cap trap legend in Atalanta’s 3-0 win over Leverkusen in the Europa Association last on Wednesday.
It was a beating few saw coming for the unused German winner whose European record unbeaten run was halted at 51 diversions by a group that had won 3-0 in Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Lookman, the London-born Nigeria worldwide, was merciless rebuffing huge mistakes by Leverkusen players to score twice in the to begin with 26 minutes of a diversion where the favorites never looked at ease. He capped his solo appear with an arrowing shot in the 75th.
In any ordinary season, or a commonplace European last, Atalanta and its ingenious coach Gian Piero Gasperini would be a feel-good soccer story.
What is not to adore for unbiased fans in the big-money Super Alliance time? A well-run club from a little common city playing alluring soccer on a humble budget for a steadfast coach to lift its to begin with top-level trophy for 61 years.
Instead, it fell to Atalanta to play the awful fellow and halt Leverkusen’s shot at European soccer immortality.
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso must presently lift his players for the German Glass last on Saturday. They will begin as overwhelming favorite to beat second-tier Kaiserslautern in the Olympic Stadium, Berlin.
As the minutes ticked down in Dublin, Alonso at long last observed his group lose standing still and alone in front of the group hole. He rotated between pushing his hands profound in the pockets of his slim-fit dark pants, at that point collapsing his arms.
A few meters absent, a carefree 66-year-old Gasperini — his dark coat zipped tall against the evening chill — was moving with his players and staff in expectation of the last whistle.
Alonso’s enormous choice call Wednesday was to incline toward Exequiel Palacios in midfield, over Robert Andrich, but the 2022 World Container champ with Argentina was at blame for the opening goal.
Palacios, protecting the distant post, was totally ignorant of Lookman behind him when a ball over the goalmouth from Davide Zappacosta evaded everybody. Lookman dashed in on Palacios’ dazzle side to score with a rising shot.
It was 2-0 in the 26th when Leverkusen however once more gave absent the ball in the heart of its claim half. Amine Adli’s purposeless header back toward his possess defense bounced to Lookman.
The previous Everton player evaded Granit Xhaka’s handle and twisted his right-footed shot into the corner of the net past goalkeeper Matěj Kovář jumping to his left.
It was the fourth time Leverkusen had trailed 2-0 in a Europa Alliance knockout circular amusement since Walk but its unbeaten run had never appeared more at hazard. The season-long whirlwind of late and stoppage-time objectives evaded Leverkusen this time.
Even some time recently the Atalanta objectives, fans from Bergamo — dwarfed almost 12,000 to 9,000 by Leverkusen’s in the 48,000 swarm — generally outsang their German partners on an cloudy and breezy evening in the Irish capital.
The players reacted with physical commitment from the opening minutes, irritating Leverkusen out of its ordinarily rich fashion with tight marking.
Leverkusen over and over talented Atalanta the ball in its claim half and made small. When scoring chances did come, Álex Grimaldo hurled the ball pitifully into the arms of goalkeeper Juan Musso who had progressed off his line, and Jeremie Frimpong’s volleyed shot went tall over the objective.
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