Nothing, not the Roman Empire, not the Zhou dynasty, not even Last of the Summer Wine, lasts for ever, and neither did Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten run. After 51 games, their pursuit of a flawless season came to an end at the penultimate hurdle as an Ademola Lookman hat-trick, the first in a one‑legged European final since Pierino Prati in 1969, gave Atalanta a surprisingly comprehensive victory and their first trophy in 61 years.
After all the talk of the emergence of Xabi Alonso as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches, it was an experienced old hand who took the laurels. At 66, Gian Piero Gasperini has his first silverware, a moment of tangible success in a career that has been spent performing a highly impressive job out of the limelight. They beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, then Marseille 3-0 in the home leg of the semi-final; nobody can say this was not deserved.
