Bayer Leverkusen: “Alonso’s dream of an unbeaten treble destroyed”

Bayer Leverkusen lost the Europa League final and suffered their first defeat in their 52nd competitive game of the season. The German champions lost 0:3 (0:2) against Atalanta Bergamo in Dublin. The German and international media write about this.

Germany

“Sports Show”: “Leverkusen’s triple dream ends in debacle”

“Kickers”: “It was clear that it would happen at some point. But the fact that Bayer 04, previously undefeated in 51 games in a row, suffered their first defeat of the season in the final of the Europa League is not without a certain tragedy.”

“Southgerman newspaper”: “The clear defeat against Atalanta puts Leverkusen’s huge success this season into perspective at best. They are not invincible, that is now clear. So what? This defeat costs, painfully enough, a major European Cup, but not their reputation.”

Italy

“Sport Newspaper”: “Lookman and Gasperini put Atalanta in the history books. (…) Gian Piero Gasperini’s team achieved the feat of defeating Bayer Leverkusen, unbeaten in 51 games in a row, with a hat trick from Ademola Lookman.”

“Tuttosport”: “Wonderful Atalanta, the Europa League is yours. Lookman demolishes unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen.”

“Corriere dello Sport”: “A historic success for Gasperini’s team, which humiliated the German champions, who were still unbeaten this season, with a crazy 0-3 victory by Lookman.”

Great Britain

“Daily Mail”: “The Invincibles became The Invisibles and after 51 unbeaten duels there was finally a chink in the armor of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen. We just never imagined that Ademola Lookman, who once played for Charlton played, would inflict the fatal wounds in this Europa League final. And three of them.”

“The Sun”: “Lookman scores incredible hat-trick in Dublin, shattering Alonso’s dream of unbeaten treble”

“The Guardian”: “For all the talk about Xabi Alonso’s emergence as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches, it was an experienced old hand who reaped the laurels. At 66, Gian Piero Gasperini has achieved his first masterpiece, a tangible achievement in a career in which he has done some highly impressive work away from the spotlight.”

Spain

“Brand”: “The goddess Atalanta makes Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen mortal. Lookman’s hat-trick destroyed the German team, which loses the Europa League, the treble and invincibility.”

“Ace”: “After all the wonders of the season had been exhausted, after 51 glorious days and nights of unbeaten games, Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen failed when it least should have: at the gates of a European title that will now have to wait for the Spanish coach.”

France

“The Parisian”: “Bergamo topple the Invincibles in the Europa League final thanks to the genius Lookman”

Austria

“Courier”: “Before this Europa League final, the football experts didn’t go overboard with hymns of praise for Leverkusen. The factory club was the measure of all things in European football, we heard. (…) And then there is the final Atalanta Bergamo therefore reduces the high-flyers from Leverkusen to a normal size using the simplest means (…).

Switzerland

“View”: “Nati captain Granit Xhaka and his Leverkusen team suffered their first defeat of the season. In the final of the Europa League, of all places.”