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Ademola Lookman scored a stunning hat-trick to help Atalanta wallop Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League on Wednesday night.
Lookman was in electric form as he ran riots against the German side that had remained unbeaten throughout the season.
The 26-year-old scored three sensational goals to nail Leverkusen at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on the night.
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Atalanta’s victory ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Xabi Alonso’s side now have their dreams of a Treble shattered but can still look forward to a domestic double.
The historic side will focus their attention on the German Cup final against Kaiserslautern happening this weekend.
Lookman didn’t just get here by chance, the Nigerian striker has been putting up superlative performances over the months. He was the Super Eagles’ topscorer as Nigeria reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in February.
The player was also named in the AFCON Best Eleven (XI) after a sensational tournament in Ivory Coast.
Just last week, Lookman led La Dea to the final of the Coppa Italia where they lost by a lone goal to Juventus. He and his Atalanta teammates put that disappointment past them to defeat their German opposition in a European final.
Lookman and Atalanta with amazing records
On Wednesday, Lookman became the first African player to score a hat-trick in any European Cup final.
It was indeed a historic night for the Bergamo club as they not only reached their first-ever European final but also won it. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side had reached the final after defeating French outfit Marseille in the semi-finals. Atalanta had also knocked out Liverpool in the last eight.
Before Wednesday night’s success, the Serie A side had not won a trophy since 1963.
Lookman wrote his name in European football history as one of three Nigerian players to have scored in the final of a major UEFA competition.
Only Alex Iwobi and Joe Aribo are Nigerian footballers who had achieved the feat. Iwobi netted in the Europa League final in 2019 when Arsenal lost 1-4 to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Aribo scored during Rangers’ loss to Frankfurt in the final of the same competition in 2022.
Also, Lookman has now scored the sixth hat-trick in the final of a major UEFA competition. This means he becomes the first player to do so since Jupp Heynckes scored thrice for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the UEFA Cup final in 1975.
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