Leverkusen vs Atalanta: Ademola Lookman Makes History After Scoring Brace in Europa League Final

• Ademola Lookman was incredible in the Europa League final
• He bagged a hat trick that saw Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen
• In the first half, the Nigerian made history after scoring a brace

Ademola Lookman has etched his name into the history books following his brace in the Europa League final.

The Nigerian scored twice in the first half to give Atalanta a commanding lead against Bayer Leverkusen.

With his first goal in the 12th minute, the Super Eagles star became the third Nigerian to score in the final of a major UEFA competition after Alex Iwobi (2019 Europa League and Joe Aribo (2022 Europa League).

His second strike in the 26th minute made him the first African to score a brace in the final of a major UEFA competition. He completed his treble in the 75th minute to give the Italian side a 3-0 lead, which they held to win.

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Atalanta were looking to win its first trophy since 1963, and they did so thanks to a world-class performance from Lookman.

Lookman has a reputation for scoring crucial goals for his team. He scored vital goals for Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. This trophy now makes him a contender for the African Footballer of the Year.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen's incredible season ends with a defeat on the biggest stage. They had not tasted defeat in 51 games, per BR Football. They face Kaiserslautern this coming weekend in the DFB Pokal final.

Lookman makes history with hat-trick

Sports Brief earlier reported on Lookman making history after his hat-trick in the Europa League final in Dublin.

The 26-year-old Nigerian became the first player to score a treble in a single leg of the UEFA Cup or Europa League final.

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Atalanta win Europa League

Sports Brief also reported on Atalanta beating Leverkusen to win their first trophy in six decades.

Lookman was the star of the show as he got all three goals in a pulsating encounter.

Leverkusen were looking to win their second trophy of 2023/24, but it wasn't to be for Xabi Alonso's side.