Atalanta last night succeeded to accomplish a result that many people including bookmakers never believed they'll achieve and that was to beat reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin. Before the kick off of the UEFA Europa League final last night, many people were of the opinion that Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen were definitely going to win the game as they've not lost any game in all competitions in their last 51 matches. I was also backing Leverkusen to win because I felt they have a better formidable squad to win that particular match.
A friend of mine before the game reminded me of the performance of Atalanta against Liverpool at Anfield last month in the first leg of their quarter final tie and told me that should Atalanta score first against Bayer Leverkusen, they'll definitely win that game. After the first half, the Italian team were leading by two goals to nil and that my friend also called and told me that Atalanta is going to be champions of the Europa League. Congratulations to Atalanta for winning their first European trophy last night.
Wow what a surprise win by Atalanta. They proved many people wrong including me. I also thought Bayer Leverkusen great team and long winning streak would be too much for Atalanta. But your friend was right Atalanta good game against Liverpool showed they could do it. And they won big leading 2-0 at halftime and taking home their first European title. Congratulations to Atalanta on this amazing achievement. It is reminder that football is full of surprises and we should not underestimate any team.
No one expects all that will happen to Bayer Leverkusen, and their coach, Xavi Alonso, will witness such disappointment at the end because all their performances didn't show any signs of failure. But the mistake that we all made was overviewing what happened to the Liverpool and Atalanta games. I also thought it was just because of the poor performance of Liverpool, that is why they got knocked out by Atalanta, not knowing Atalanta had already planned their move to face any team.
But we all have to accept to congratulate Atalanta because they have already won the trophy, and if I am not mistaken, this is their first Europa Cup ever, but I know from now on they will be more motivated and have more wins in the future. Furthermore, all the credit for yesterday's victory will go to the man of the match, which was Ademola Lookman. He was actually a star, and he really shined.