Gian Piero Gasperini: Atalanta Deserves Europa League Victory After Triumphs Over Liverpool And Bayer Leverkusen

Gian Piero Gasperini lavish praised his “incredible” Atalanta players following their stunning victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, securing the club’s first-ever continental title.

In a remarkable performance, Atalanta convincingly defeated the German champions Leverkusen 3-0, who had been undefeated in 51 games across all competitions before the final in Dublin on Wednesday night.

With an impressive showcase of attacking football, the Italians secured their first trophy in more than sixty years, capped by Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick.

“It’s an amazing feeling. The boys were incredible, the performance that they put in this evening was wonderful,” said Gasperini to Sky Sport. “You can’t just defend in matches like this. We knew about this type of team that they’re really good going forward but not so good if you force them to defend. It went well right from the beginning.”

“More than anything else it’s also about how we did it. We deserved to win. We’re so happy because to win the Europa League is a huge achievement for us.”

Securing UEFA Champions League football for the 2024/25 season, Atalanta will make their fourth appearance in European football’s top competition. Each qualification has been achieved under Gasperini’s leadership since he assumed control in 2016.

“I think we are in history, but the way we won was extraordinary,” he continued. “We repeated the performances of Liverpool and Lisbon. Sporting won their league, Liverpool were top of the Premier League when we went there, Bayer Leverkusen dominated the Bundesliga.”

In Dublin, the Italian team flawlessly executed their game strategy. Despite allowing Bayer to dominate possession with 67% of the ball, Atalanta showcased superior efficiency, scoring three goals from 10 shots. In contrast, their opponents had an equal number of attempts on goal but were unable to find the back of the net.

Gasperini added, “We often play with the trident, there were all the conditions to do it, we had to play for the win in a final. Everyone was extraordinary. The way we did it was the most important thing, we deserved it without a shadow of a doubt against such a strong team. Winning the Europa League is an extraordinary achievement.”

Bayer Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, were strong contenders to secure a treble by clinching victory in Dublin and the German Cup final on Saturday, having dominated their way to their first-ever Bundesliga title without a single loss.

However, Ademola Lookman ensured that Atalanta would return to Bergamo with the trophy in hand by delivering a magnificent hat-trick, with each goal from the Nigerian forward surpassing the brilliance of the previous strike.

“Very, very happy. Together we made history. It’s incredible,” said Lookman to Sky. “The ambition of the club… Last season we had a great season to qualify for the Europa League and this season we won a trophy. It’s a fantastic effort from everybody. We’re gonna celebrate tonight.”