To break a streak of three consecutive cup final losses under Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta Bergamo had to overcome Xabi Alonso’s formidable Bayer Leverkusen side to achieve European glory. Their intense off-ball strategy rendered Bayer Leverkusen unrecognizable, allowing Ademola Lookman to seize the opportunity and secure a historic victory in Dublin.
The Europa League has a knack for delivering unique finals, and the journeys of Atalanta and Leverkusen made this one particularly special. Never before had cities as small as Bergamo and Leverkusen clashed in a European final, and few finals have featured teams with such compelling stories.
Atalanta hadn’t come this close to European glory since their deep Champions League run during the lockdown years. Under Serie A’s longest-serving coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, they have faced numerous rebuilds yet consistently maintained a high level of performance. Despite this, Atalanta were often underestimated, but their impressive run to Dublin, which included victories over Sporting CP, Liverpool, and Marseille, proved their mettle. Now, they were just ninety minutes away from European immortality.
Standing in their way was Bayer Leverkusen, a team unbeaten in fifty-one games. Their transformation from “Neverkusen” to “Never-losing” has been the story of the season. On the verge of completing an unbeaten, treble-winning season, the true magnitude of Leverkusen’s success might only be fully appreciated in hindsight. Having already secured the league title a month ago, Xabi Alonso’s ability to maintain the team’s momentum is remarkable. The question remained: could they sustain that level in a European final?
Gasperini made a notable omission by leaving Marten de Roon out of the starting midfield, though he was available on the bench. Teun Koopmeiners partnered with Éderson, while Sead Kolašinac, despite being a doubt, was fit to start in defense. In attack, Ademola Lookman was chosen to play alongside Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca.
Xabi Alonso opted to start both his recognized strikers, Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick, on the bench. Amine Adli joined Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong in the attack. This allowed Josip Stanišić to start as the right wing-back, while cup goalkeeper Matej Kovar returned to the lineup.
Read More: Who Should Be The Next Chelsea Manager And Replace Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge?
Relentless Pressure: Atalanta’s Defensive Dominance And Man-Marking Triumphs By Suffocating Leverkusen
From the first few phases, it was evident where this final would be decided. Bayer Leverkusen’s dominance has relied on a buildup unit effective at passing the ball under pressure to release attackers into space. How would this fare against Atalanta’s intense man-marking scheme? In the early sequences, Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka attempted to find Florian Wirtz and Amine Adli through quick combinations, but Atalanta’s intensity soon disrupted Leverkusen’s in-possession patterns.
Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners were tasked with man-marking Xhaka and Exequiel Palacios, regardless of the lines the Leverkusen duo moved into. Their key responsibility was blocking the forward passing lane and not overcommitting when the player was not in possession, before closing in to force quick releases of the ball. Consequently, many passes from Leverkusen’s double pivot were misdirected or overhit.
In the second minute, a passing pattern from Leverkusen went awry. As Wirtz dropped to drag Berat Djimsiti, Jeremie Frimpong tried to exploit gaps in Atalanta’s defense. However, Stanišić’s only short option was the double pivot, who played the ball into Atalanta’s pressing trap. Atalanta collapsed onto this space, pressuring Xhaka into a rushed pass that ended up with Davide Zappacosta.
Out of possession, Atalanta’s defensive and midfield switchability maintained their intensity against Leverkusen’s short passes. Whether it was the wing-back swapping with the wide center-back, or the center midfielders exchanging man-marking targets, Atalanta stayed compact and made short connections very difficult for Leverkusen to execute.
Leverkusen also attempted longer passes from their center-backs, hoping to bypass the Atalanta press with double movements to spin around the man-marking center-backs. Wirtz was the most dangerous with these movements. However, the longer the distance, the harder it was to execute these plays, and Atalanta maintained their intensity when Leverkusen moved the ball into the corners of their defensive third.
In the ninth minute, a long pass from Stanišić tried to exploit the distances between Atalanta’s center-backs. However, Leverkusen moved the ball into an area where Atalanta could apply significant pressure, with Matteo Ruggeri blocking the channel pass option. The ball deflected off Ruggeri, and Sead Kolašinac intercepted, with Koopmeiners positioned to receive after strictly following Xhaka.
As a result, Atalanta’s off-ball approach disrupted Leverkusen, leading to numerous loose passes. Leverkusen’s reliance on uncharacteristic long balls made it difficult for them to reset or change the game’s tempo. Their few breaks came in transition-like situations, but Atalanta’s man-marking kept them positioned in front of the Leverkusen players. A backward pass allowed Atalanta to restart their aggressive pressing.
Ademola Lookman Ignites Atalanta’s Attack
Gasperini’s team couldn’t afford to reset in a deep buildup, so they maintained their intensity by attacking in transition. They found success in the wider channels, with Scamacca effectively moving the ball out of the central zone. De Ketelaere spun around Piero Hincapié, and Lookman attacked Edmond Tapsoba from deeper positions.
Just seven minutes in, Lookman had already troubled Leverkusen. In transition, he dribbled around Wirtz and Palacios, setting up Ruggeri’s cross. Scamacca’s header bounced off both him and Hincapié before going wide.
Atalanta’s controlled start against the Bundesliga champions soon paid off. In the second phase from a corner, Koopmeiners recovered the ball on the touchline, and Zappacosta received it, creating a three-versus-two on the right. The wing-back drove the ball across the six-yard box, and Lookman pounced to put the ball into the top left corner.
After the first goal, Atalanta continued to frustrate Leverkusen, breaking up play with timed jumps and fouls deep in their half. Leverkusen showed more fluidity when building vertically across the field, but these moments were rare as Gasperini’s team maintained their intense approach. In transition, both Lookman and De Ketelaere had close support from the wing-backs, enabling quick progress down the wider channels.
In the 25th minute, during the buildup to Atalanta’s second goal, Adli headed back a long kick from Kovar, but Leverkusen’s midfield was at a disadvantage as the ball ran past Wirtz. Three Atalanta players supported the transition, though Lookman ultimately didn’t need any assistance.
The compactness of Atalanta’s center also played to their advantage in transition. As Leverkusen tried to manipulate their last line, Wirtz found himself isolated when Adli and Frimpong tried to stretch the defense. For Atalanta’s second goal, Lookman picked up the ball in space, nutmegged Xhaka, and moved to the edge of the semi-circle before unleashing a venomous shot into the bottom right corner, sending Atalanta into raptures.
Éderson and Koopmeiners Keep Leverkusen at Bay
Leverkusen struggled to find momentum after Atalanta’s second goal. In deeper buildup scenarios, Éderson and Koopmeiners took up higher positions against the opposition center-midfielders, squeezing their time in possession. Wirtz began dropping deeper to assist in the buildup, with Isak Hien following him down the pitch. As play funneled to one side, the far-sided center-midfielder either collapsed onto Wirtz’s space or pressed one of his original man-marking targets.
In the 31st minute, Éderson and Koopmeiners assumed even more aggressive positions as Leverkusen tried to build down the left. Palacios, after receiving the ball, passed to Grimaldo, who was tracked by Zappacosta. Wirtz, trying to support with a passing angle, was double-marked by Éderson and Hien. Palacios then made a shaky pass behind Hincapié as Koopmeiners, Éderson, and De Ketelaere squeezed the space.
As a result, Atalanta maintained the upper hand during Leverkusen’s deeper buildups. Despite this, Xabi Alonso’s team managed to get into some decent areas before halftime. Just after the half-hour mark, Alejandro Grimaldo made an effective third-man run past Hien and inside of Djimsiti. However, his decision-making seemed rushed, and he passed the ball straight into goalkeeper Juan Musso’s chest.
Wirtz nearly capitalized on a similar pattern down the same side, with both center-backs caught out by Xhaka’s chipped ball, but Musso reacted quickly. From deeper areas, Frimpong also managed to get on the end of a couple of long balls, running from the right to the center of the field. However, Atalanta marshaled him away from taking a shot.
Leverkusen had one or two promising sequences, but Atalanta’s off-ball intensity masked some deficiencies in their defensive line. Without setting up in two-versus-twos at the back, Leverkusen could have distributed the ball around their circuit more effectively. Instead, Koopmeiners and Éderson nullified their attempts to do so, keeping Leverkusen from gaining any significant momentum.
Leverkusen’s Two Shots in Half an Hour
Something needed to change for Xabi Alonso. He substituted Stanišić for Boniface, while Gasperini brought on Giorgio Scalvini to replace the injured Kolašinac. With Frimpong now directly at right wing-back and Adli alongside him, Lookman found ample space to receive and dribble against Tapsoba, with Frimpong more committed to the attack.
In the second period, Atalanta ceded more territory. Even when positioned in a high block, their focus shifted to resetting and remaining compact, rather than pressing high and forcing Leverkusen into sloppy infield passes. Consequently, Tapsoba started supporting the attacks more, but Leverkusen lacked fluency as Koopmeiners and Scamacca continued to block forward passing lanes for Xhaka. Despite being less aggressive collectively, Atalanta still had situational moments requiring them to engage and disrupt their opponents’ connections.
Leverkusen’s first shot of the second half came just before the hour mark. Wirtz attempted to connect with Boniface in a crowded area, and Adli sent in a cross. Musso parried the ball, which fell to Frimpong in a good position, but the height and speed made his close attempt awkward.
In the 66th minute, counterpressure from Leverkusen left Mario Pašalić an escape route as Bayer became too lopsided. Lookman stretched the play by taking a wider position, and Éderson connected to make Lookman one-on-one with Tapsoba, resulting in a foul on Lookman.
After this attempt, Leverkusen struggled to pin Atalanta back. Most of Leverkusen’s passes focused on the middle, and their transitions mirrored this approach, missing better connections that could have slowed the game down. This left space for Atalanta to give Lookman the ball on the transition.
Xabi Alonso seemed short of answers, unable to influence the game as control remained with Atalanta. With fifteen minutes left, substitute Mario Pašalić broke up a passing move, allowing Scamacca to run at the defense. Despite the presence of Jonathan Tah and Tapsoba, Scamacca had Lookman to his left. A stepover gave Lookman the separation he needed, and he fired the ball into the top corner, completing a hat-trick in a European final. Even for the “Neverkusen,” this was a step too far.
Gasperini’s Long-Awaited Triumph: A Testament to Atalanta’s Model
At last, Gasperini’s legendary tenure with Atalanta is rewarded with a trophy. Rebuilding a team is a significant challenge, but Atalanta’s model has required him to reinvest constantly. Despite the many players who have come and gone in Bergamo, Gasperini has adhered to a strict set of defensive principles for his team to follow, and on the grandest stage he has taken them to, this approach has finally paid off.
This victory wasn’t just the result of a fortunate cup draw. Atalanta faced two of the best teams in the competition, and ending Leverkusen’s incredible unbeaten streak to claim the trophy made the triumph even sweeter. No club in Italy has been run as effectively as Atalanta during Gasperini’s tenure. Their structure is worth replicating, and Gasperini is a coach who was long overdue for recognition.
