Atalanta BC vs Bayer Leverkusen - Teams comparison

Atalanta BC - Bayer Leverkusen, 22.05.2024

The UEFA Europa League final, played in Dublin on 22 May 2024, went down in history as the match that brought an end to the longest and most remarkable unbeaten run in modern European football. Bayer Leverkusen entered the final after a phenomenal 2023/24 campaign, during which Xabi Alonso guided the club to its first-ever German championship. Even more impressively, Leverkusen completed the entire Bundesliga season without suffering a single defeat (28 wins, 6 draws), finally shedding the infamous "Neverkusen" label. Across 51 consecutive matches in all competitions, no opponent managed to overcome the team from Leverkusen, which became renowned for its dramatic comebacks and late goals, as demonstrated in unforgettable Europa League ties against Qarabağ and Roma.

However, in the final in Ireland, the dream of completing an unprecedented unbeaten treble came to a painful end. Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini masterminded a tactical masterclass, with his side applying relentless high pressing all over the pitch, cutting off Leverkusen's key players and restricting Alonso's attack-minded team to just three shots on target. The undisputed star of the night was Ademola Lookman, whose career-defining performance included a stunning hat-trick, with goals in the 12th, 26th and 75th minutes. Although Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed longer spells of possession, Atalanta deservedly claimed a 3–0 victory. It was the first major European trophy in the Italian club's history, while for Xabi Alonso and his players it proved to be their only — yet deeply painful — defeat in an almost perfect season.