Gian Piero Gasperini has expressed how “proud” he is of his Atalanta side after they defeated Bayer Leverkusen to win the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League.
Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick powered the Italian side to a win, with Xabi Alonso’s side’s 51-game unbeaten run brought to an end.
Lookman put Atalanta ahead in the 12th minute, pouncing on a cross delivered to the back post by Davide Zappacosta.
The Nigerian doubled his team’s lead in the 26th minute, with a fabulous curling effort toward the far corner from outside the box, after a swashbuckling attacking move.
Ademola Lookman secured his hat-trick with 15 minutes of action left to play, thundering the ball home following a swift counter-attacking move.
Gianluca Scamacca drifted infield before feeding the ball to the Nigerian, who drove towards the left side of the box and subsequently smashed an irresistible effort into the top corner.
Lookman became the first player to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League, etching his name into the annals of history.
Atalanta Gaffer Gian Piero Gasperini “Proud” Of His Players’ Display
Speaking after the encounter, manager Gasperini noted the teams that Atalanta dispatched to win the trophy, whilst expressing how proud he was of his team’s success.
Gian Piero Gasperini said: “It’s not just that we won, it’s how we won!”.
“We’ve beaten Liverpool when they were top of PL table, Sporting, and now Bayer Leverkusen… we are extremely proud”.
The 66-year-old has been the manager of Atalanta since June 2016, and he has done an impressive job handling the side.
The UEFA Europa League triumph meant that Gian Piero Gasperini had guided The Black and Blues to their first major European trophy in 116 years.
It is also Atalanta’s 2nd major trophy since the club was established in 1907, having won the Coppa Italia in 1963.
Moreover, Atalanta are the first Italian club to win the UEFA Europa League since the competition replaced the previous UEFA Cup in 2009.
The last Italian side to win the UEFA Cup was Parma in 1998/99, and as such this trophy means a lot to Italian football.
Gasperini
Meanwhile, Gian Piero Gasperini also became the oldest-ever manager to win the UEFA Europa League.
Following the triumph in the second-tier European competition, the future of Gasperini was thrown under the spotlight.
Atalanta president Antonio Percassi did well to assure the fans that Gian Piero Gasperini will remain at the club, saying: “I’ve no doubts, zero doubts on Gasperini to stay with us”.
“We will meet and discuss again but this trophy will help us to continue together”.
Before the UEFA Europa League triumph, Atalanta lost the Coppa Italia final 1-0 to Juventus, but they were determined to pen their name in gold this campaign and they have done so emphatically.
The Bergamo-based club have two more league games to play this season, as they welcome Torino and Fiorentina to the Gewiss stadium on the 26th of May and 2nd of June respectively.
