Bayer Leverkusen was on an unbelievable ride. They were unbeaten, scoring tons of goals and riding high going late into the season. But a shocking hat trick and a surprising loss proved that football is unpredictable and insane. You just never know who is going to step up on a certain day and propel their team forward to get the much-needed three points.
That was the story with the exciting game, Atalanta vs. Bayer Leverkusen, ending in a 3-0 defeat. If you saw that scoreline, you would think that Bayer destroyed Atalanta early in the first half and then put on their subs to run the clock down. But the scoreline is the other way around.
Atalanta Surprise Bayer Leverkusen with a Shocking Hat Trick
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Leverkusen is easily one of the top teams in Europe at the moment. With a talented manager who was one of the best players of his generation, Xabi Alonso, the prime Barcelona man who won numerous trophies with the Spanish club, it was easy to assume this team would just win every single game.
They were in the running to win the unheard-of treble and beat Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League final. But the dream just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe the pressure got to them, and poor tactics, bad player management, or fatigue set in after a long season.
Whatever the case, Atalanta came out firing, and Bayer Leverkusen did not. They had a long 34-game season in the Bundesliga that could have caused some tired legs and tired minds. After going undefeated for the entire season, they had just one more game left to play – but Atalanta said otherwise.
As soon as the whistle blew, Bayer Leverkusen looked out of place. Atalanta was in firm control from the start, a tactic that definitely took the German side by surprise. Although Atalanta may have had fewer possesions, they were tenacious and aggressive and had seven shots on goal vs. Bayer Leverkusen’s three.
Even though Bayer had 67% possession and 674 passes, Atalanta’s 33% possession and 332 passes were enough to muster 10 shots, 7 on the frame, and 71% pass accuracy.
Plus, they had a secret weapon on their team. Ademola Lookman became the first player ever to score a hat trick in a Europa League final since 1975. The Atalanta player came alive and put the team on his back to net three out of the seven shots they had on frame in the 90 minutes.
Even the coach was surprised by his team’s resilience and incredible playing style vs. Bayer Leverkusen.
‘I think we wrote history, also for the way we won it. It was just extraordinary. We defeated Liverpool, Sporting Lisbon who won the championship. When we faced Liverpool, they were the first in the Premier League. And now the German champions. Incredible. The boys were extraordinary, a memorable performance.’
Lookman’s Goals vs. Bayer Leverkusen
The goals were special enough to watch on their own, let alone if you saw the entire game. Lookman scored early in the 12th minute to put Bayer on their heels and again in the 26th minute to shock the crowd and give his side a much-needed boost to go into halftime up 2-0.
Although this wasn’t Atalanta’s largest lead, Bayer Leverkusen didn’t look like they had enough drive to get back into the game in the second half.
Lookman buried his third and final goal in the 75th minute to cap off the victory and send Atalanta home the winners. For their performance, resilience, and tactics, they deserve it.
About the Author
Emma is an athlete and sports fan who currently plays professional soccer. Growing up, she reached a high level in track and field, distance running, and soccer on both club and university teams.
