Atalanta Form Guard of Honour for Bayer Leverkusen After Winning Europa League Final

• Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday night
• Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick to end the German champs' unbeaten run at 51 matches
• Atalanta formed a guard of honour before the awarding ceremony to pay tribute to Leverkusen

Atalanta showed the ultimate form of respect to Bayer Leverkusen after defeating the German club in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday night (May 22).

The Italian side formed a guard of honour before the awarding ceremony to pay tribute to Xabi Alonso's men, whose bid to finish the season unbeaten came unstuck at Aviva Stadium.

Atalanta players lined up and applauded the Bayer Leverkusen stars as they entered the stage to receive their medals as runners-up in the European second-tier competition.

Atalanta vs Leverkusen: Lookman, Other Africans Who Qualified for Europa League Final

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Atalanta show respect with guard of honour

Ademola Lookman, who played a starring role in Atalanta's victory, was among those who cheered for the Leverkusen players.

The Nigerian was sensational in the final, scoring a hat-trick in his side's comprehensive 3-0 win, per the BBC.

He opened the scoring in the 12th minute before adding another goal in the 26th minute to give Atalanta a 2-0 lead at the break.

Lookman completed the rout with a goal in the 75th minute to send Atalanta fans inside the stadium into a frenzy.

Lookman makes history with hat-trick vs. Leverkusen

Lookman made history with that treble, becoming just the third Nigerian to score a goal in a major European final, joining Joe Aribo and Alex Iwobi on the exclusive list, per Goal.com.

He also became the first African to score at least two goals in a UEFA final and the first player to record a hat-trick in this fixture since Jupp Heynckes scored a treble in 1975.

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It was a disappointing end to the tournament for Leverkusen, whose unbeaten run ended at 51 matches. They were simply outclassed by Atalanta, who won their first title in 61 years.

Lookman's hat-trick celebration goes viral

Sports Brief recently reported on Lookman's celebration after scoring a hat-trick against Leverkusen.

He confidently nodded his head to show he was the 'man of the moment' in the Europa League final.

Lookman has emerged as the favourite for the African Player of the Year award after a heroic effort.