- Ademola Lookman scored a sensational hat-trick in the Europa League final
- With their trio of goals, Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 on Wednesday night.
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Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick of goals in the Europa League final by firing a shot into the top right corner of the net to seal his team’s 3-0 victory against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
According squawk The former Charlton and Everton star gave Atalanta a 3-0 lead in the match and became the first player to score a hat-trick in a single-match UEFA Cup or European Cup final. League.
His third shot was perhaps the best of the group, with Lookman receiving the ball on the edge of the Leverkusen penalty area, before ducking his head, driving into the box and unleashing a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner of the goal. .
At 2-0 it looked like Atalanta had control of the match, but as Leverkusen seemed to tire, it looked like the 26-year-old’s third goal had sealed the match.
The first came in the first 11 minutes of the game, when he found open space in the penalty area to finish Douglas Zappacosta’s cross into the back of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
Ademola Lookman (pictured) scored a sensational hat-trick to help Atalanta win the Europa League final
The Nigerian international would double the Serie A side’s lead soon after with a superb long-range finish, beating a defender before firing a low shot into the far corner of the goal from outside the penalty spot.
But it was a sensational evening for the former Premier League star, who almost single-handedly inspired Atalanta to win their first European trophy and ended a 61-year wait for silverware.
After their epic display, Lookman and his team were praised by TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist, who said: ‘What a performance! And what a level of acting for a full 90 minutes.
He crashed the ball into the top corner of the goal from a difficult angle to score his third goal of the night.
Lookman has scored 12 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta this season.
‘A tactical masterclass from Gian Piero Gasperini, he asked his players to do a job tonight and they did it and then some.
“Ademola Lookman’s man-of-the-match performance, the three goals and the quality of the shots are something we will be watching for many years to come.”
There were scenes of jubilation after the final whistle with Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini leading the celebrations among his team.
For Lookman, this will be a huge victory after the winger had to show bravery and determination to fight his way to the top.
He also made history, according to Squawka, by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a single-match UEFA Cup or Europa League final.
His three goals helped the Serie A team to a 3-0 victory against Bayer Leverkusen.
Lookman was cheered by his players as they tossed him into the air after the game.
Lookman joined Everton from Charlton in 2017, but things did not work out between the winger and the Merseyside club, and Lookman was loaned out to RB Leipzig before sealing a permanent move.
He would later be loaned to Fulham and Leicester before finally moving to Atalanta in 2022.
And former Chelsea star Joe Cole praised his tenacity on TNT Sports, stating: “Setbacks and adversity.” In the end, to get to the top in football you have to go through adversity and the players who come out ahead and don’t give up… that young man (Lookman) has it in abundance and has been written into the history books .’