From the start; it was Atalanta who looked the more comfortable. Gian Piero Gasperini; as wily a coach as you want one; played his strategy perfect; pressing high to deny the German champions time on the ball; and leading to the latter losing possession several times in their own half; leading in fact to some of the goals. They are also masters of the counter-attack; with efficient passing and movement to cause problems for the opposition.
For Leverkusen; for a match of such magnitude; they were sorely disappointing. Seemingly overawed by the occasion; their passing & guile was left bereft; personified by two glaring misses from their highly-rated left-back Alex Grimaldo. Even their star player Florian Wirtz was disappointing in his set-piece deliveries and overall play; as Xabi Alonso's men simply failed to get going all night.
It was a night to remember for former Everton starlet Lookman. Looking like a completely different player from his earlier days; he looked lively and dangerous on the left wing; with this three goals pretty much unsavable. The first when he latched on smartly to a Davide Zappacosta cross; the second a sharpish right-foot shot after cutting inside; and the third a searing left-foot finish after going the other way to deceive his defender. The 26-year-old is now ready to explode on the world stage.
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