Europa League: Atalanta Boss Appears to Brag After Ademola Lookman Destroyed Leverkusen in Final

• Gian Piero Gasperini appeared to brag after Atalanta's success in the Europa League
• The veteran coach masterminded Leverkusen's first loss of the season on Wednesday
• It also marked his first silverware in his 21-year tenure as a professional football coach

Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, revelled in his team's triumph after they defeated Bayer Leverkusen to clinch the UEFA Europa League title on Wednesday, May 22.

For Gasperini, it marked his first trophy as a coach, and for Atalanta, it ended a 61-year trophy drought. The victory also saw them become the first team to defeat Leverkusen this season.

Leverkusen, the newly crowned Bundesliga champions, had not lost in 361 days before the final in Dublin.

However, a remarkable performance by Ademola Lookman ensured their unbeaten run came to a halt.

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Lookman drew first blood with a composed finish 12 minutes into the game, then doubled the lead with a stunning curling shot 14 minutes later, per GOAL.

He completed his hat-trick with a powerful left-footed strike into the top corner, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a Europa League final.

Atalanta's success at the Aviva Stadium was part of a notable European campaign.

La Dea had previously defeated Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in the quarter-finals and Marseille 3-0 at home in the semi-finals before ending Leverkusen's quest for a perfect season.

Gasperini proud of Atalanta's UEL success

Reflecting on his team's success, the 66-year-old Gasperini praised both himself and his squad for their impressive run in Europe, highlighting their remarkable achievement in winning the continent's premier club competitions, second only to the UEFA Champions League.

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“It’s not just that we won, it’s how we won,” the veteran tactician said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

Gasperini also emphasised the significance of their achievement, highlighting its monumental nature after beating some of Europe's best clubs.

“We’ve beaten Liverpool when they were top of the Premier League table, Sporting and now Bayer Leverkusen… we are extremely proud."

Leverkusen coach explains Europa League final loss

In a previous publication, Sports Brief reported that Gasperini's opposite number, Xabi Alonso, shared his thoughts after Leverkusen's humbling 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League final.

Reflecting on the game, Alonso graciously acknowledged that the Italians deserved the trophy for their performance despite the disappointment of seeing their near-perfect season come to an abrupt end.

The highly sought-after coach admitted that the nature of the loss was particularly painful.