Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has described leading Atalanta to a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League final as “one of the best nights of my life.”
The Nigerian international scored a historic hat-trick at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday, securing Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy since the club’s establishment in 1907.
Lookman’s goals in the 12th, 25th, and 76th minutes not only earned him the match ball and Man of the Match award but also made him the first player in the competition’s history to score a hat-trick in the final. Atalanta’s win marked their first trophy in 61 years.
Reacting to the Europa League win, the former Everton and Leicester City player says it was an amazing performance from the team and by far one of the best nights of his career.
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“One of the best nights of my life. Amazing performance from the team, we did it, we did it, we did it! Not got much else to say but yeah fantastic,” Lookman told TNT Sports after the match.
“They do always say third time lucky, so yeah it is for us today (winning a final at the third attempt this season). I’m just happy we won. We won today so yes very pleased.
“100%! We’ve got to celebrate, we made history tonight.”
Also speaking to UEFA.com, Lookman said he hopes the Europa League win can help propel him to greater things.
“These past two years I’ve been able to take my game to a whole new level. Maybe it could have come earlier, but it has come now. But this is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this and to just keep getting better and better,” he said.
He added, “These past two years, the club and the coach have supported me in terms of giving me the minutes and support from inside the club to play the football and show my game within the style that we play. And that’s helped me to elevate my game to a whole new level. I’m grateful. We’ve made history and we’ve brought the title back to Bergamo.”
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