Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. It was a beating few saw coming for the new German champion whose European record unbeaten run was stopped at 51 games by a team that had won in Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
Lookman, the London-born Nigeria international, was ruthless punishing big errors by Leverkusen players to score twice in the first 26 minutes of a game where the favorites never looked at ease. He capped his solo show with an arrowing shot in the 75th. In any normal season, or a typical European final, Atalanta and its veteran coach Gian Piero Gasperini would be the feel-good soccer story.
What is not to love for neutral fans in the big-money Super League era? A well-run club from a small provincial city playing attractive soccer on a modest budget for a loyal coach to lift its first top-level trophy for 61 years. They will start as heavy favorite to beat second-tier Kaiserslautern in the Olympic Stadium, Berlin. As the minutes ticked down in Dublin, he finally watched his team lose standing still and alone in front of the team dugout.
He alternated between pushing his hands deep in the pockets of his slim-fit black jeans, then folding his arms. A few meters away, a sprightly year-old Gasperini β his black rain jacket zipped high against the evening chill β was dancing with his players and staff in anticipation of the final whistle. Palacios, defending the far post, was utterly unaware of Lookman behind him when a ball across the goalmouth from Davide Zappacosta eluded everyone. It was in the 26th when Leverkusen yet again gave away the ball in the heart of its own half.
It was the fourth time Leverkusen had trailed in a Europa League knockout round game since March but its unbeaten run had never seemed more at risk. The season-long flurry of late and stoppage-time goals eluded Leverkusen this time. The players responded with physical commitment from the opening minutes, harassing Leverkusen out of its typically elegant style with tight marking. Leverkusen repeatedly gifted Atalanta the ball in its own half and created little.
