Ademola Lookman’s Hat Trick Ends Leverkusen’s Unbeaten Run, Secures Europa League Glory for Atalanta

Ademola Lookman shattered Bayer Leverkusen’s pursuit of an historic unbeaten treble by scoring a remarkable hat trick to secure Europa League glory for Atalanta with a 3-0 victory in Dublin. The 26-year-old former Everton and RB Leipzig forward delivered the performance of his career, helping Gian Piero Gasperini’s team to win its first European trophy and handing Leverkusen their first defeat of the season.

Leverkusen’s unbeaten run had lasted 51 games and 361 days, stretching back to a 3-0 loss against VfL Bochum in May 2023. “It wasn’t lost in terms of attitude, it was a football thing,” said Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso. “They were better.”

Leverkusen aimed to win their second European trophy, their first since the 1988 UEFA Cup. Despite dominating the German league with 28 wins and six draws, and being favored to win the Europa League and DFB Pokal, Atalanta outplayed them. Lookman scored twice before halftime and sealed the victory with an outstanding goal in the 75th minute.

Though Leverkusen’s hopes for an unbeaten treble were dashed, they can still achieve an unbeaten double by defeating Kaiserslautern in Saturday’s German Cup final. Alonso emphasized the challenge of dealing with this defeat and using it positively. “Normally it happens earlier in the season, but when it happens in such a big game, it hurts,” he said. “But we have to use this pain in a positive way — it’s football, the normality is not to lose the first game in the 52nd game.”