 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2023–24 UEFA Europa League | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 22 May 2024 (2024-05-22) | ||||||
| Venue | Aviva Stadium,Dublin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | István Kovács (Romania)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 47,135[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Cloudy 14 °C (57 °F) 77%humidity[4] | ||||||
←2023 2025 → | |||||||
The2024 UEFA Europa League final was the final match of the2023–24 UEFA Europa League, the 53rd season of Europe's secondary clubfootball tournament organised byUEFA, and the 15th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to theUEFA Europa League. It was held at theAviva Stadium inDublin, Republic of Ireland, on 22 May 2024, between Italian clubAtalanta and German clubBayer Leverkusen.[5][6]
Atalanta won the match 3–0 for their first European trophy and their first trophy in 61 years courtesy of a hat-trick byAdemola Lookman.[7] In doing so, he became the first hat-trick scorer in a Europa League final, the first in a major European final sinceJupp Heynckes in the1975 UEFA Cup final second leg and the first in a single-match major European final sincePierino Prati in the1969 European Cup final.[8] Atalanta also became the 30th different club to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League, the first Italian club sinceParma in1999 to win the trophy and the first Italian side to win the competition since its rebranding before the2009–10 season. Leverkusen, who had beenunbeaten in 51 matches across all competitions in the season, became the first German side to lose a UEFA Cup/Europa League final sinceWerder Bremen in2009.
As winners, Atalanta earned the right to play againstReal Madrid, the winners of the2023–24 UEFA Champions League, in the2024 UEFA Super Cup. Since Atalanta had already qualified to enter the league phase of the2024–25 UEFA Champions League through their league performance, the access list was rebalanced.
This wasAtalanta's first ever European final. Having lost the2024 Coppa Italia final, Atalanta failed to win acup double, but were still seeking a first major title since winning the1962–63 Coppa Italia. ForBayer Leverkusen, this was their third ever European showpiece match, the first European final since losing the2002 UEFA Champions League final, and the first UEFA Cup/Europa League final since winning it in1988. Having won the2023–24 Bundesliga title and secured passage to the2024 DFB-Pokal final, Leverkusen were aiming for atreble.[9]
The final was only the third time the teams had met. Their first two matches were in the2021–22 UEFA Europa League round of 16. Atalanta won both legs,3–2 at home and1–0 in the away game.[9]
In the following table, the finals until 2009 were in the UEFA Cup era, and since 2010 in the UEFA Europa League era.
| Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|
 Atalanta | None |
 Bayer Leverkusen | 1 (1988) |
On 16 July 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee announced that due to the withdrawal of hosting rights forUEFA Euro 2020, theAviva Stadium inDublin was given hosting rights for the 2024 final. This was part of a settlement agreement by UEFA to recognise the efforts and financial investment made to host UEFA Euro 2020.[5]
It was the second time that the Europa League final has been held in the Aviva Stadium, having previously hosted the2011 final.
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Atalanta | Round | Bayer Leverkusen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Group stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Raków Częstochowa | 2–0 (H) | Matchday 1 |  BK Häcken | 4–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sporting CP | 2–1 (A) | Matchday 2 |  Molde | 2–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Sturm Graz | 2–2 (A) | Matchday 3 |  Qarabağ | 5–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sturm Graz | 1–0 (H) | Matchday 4 | Qarabağ | 1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sporting CP | 1–1 (H) | Matchday 5 | BK Häcken | 2–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Raków Częstochowa | 4–0 (A) | Matchday 6 | Molde | 5–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group D winners
Source:UEFA | Final standings | Group H winners | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Knockout phase | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sporting CP | 3–2 | 1–1 (A) | 2–1 (H) | Round of 16 | Qarabağ | 5–4 | 2–2 (A) | 3–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Liverpool | 3–1 | 3–0 (A) | 0–1 (H) | Quarter-finals | West Ham United | 3–1 | 2–0 (H) | 1–1 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Marseille | 4–1 | 1–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) | Semi-finals | Roma | 4–2 | 2–0 (A) | 2–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||
.jpeg)
Atalanta qualified for the Europa League group stage by finishing 5th in the2022–23 Serie A. They were drawn into Group D alongsidePrimeira Liga fourth-place teamSporting CP,Austrian Football Bundesliga second-place teamSturm Graz, and reigningEkstraklasa championsRaków Częstochowa.[10]
In Atalanta's opener of the group stage, they faced Raków Częstochowa at theStadio di Bergamo and won 2–0, with goals fromCharles De Ketelaere andÉderson.[11] On matchday 2, Atalanta defeated Sporting CP away from home at theEstádio José Alvalade 2–1, with goals byGiorgio Scalvini andMatteo Ruggeri, and a goal fromViktor Gyökeres for the hosts.[12] On matchday 3, Atalanta drew in a 2–2 stalemate at theStadion Graz Liebenau against Sturm Graz.[13] On matchday 4, Atalanta defeated Sturm Graz in the reverse fixture at the Stadio di Bergamo, with a goal fromBerat Djimsiti.[14] On matchday 5, Atalanta drew 1–1 with Sporting CP at home, with a goal fromGianluca Scamacca andMarcus Edwards for the visitors.[15] On matchday 6 at theZagłębiowski Park Sportowy, Atalanta grabbed a 4–0 away win against Raków Częstochowa, with two goals fromLuis Muriel, and goals byGiovanni Bonfanti and Charles De Ketelaere.[16]
In the round of 16, Atalanta were drawn against Sporting CP, a rematch from the group stage clash. In the first leg at the Estádio José Alvalade, Atalanta drew 1–1, with goals from Gianluca Scamacca andPaulinho.[17] In the second leg, Atalanta defeated Sporting CP 2–1, with goals fromAdemola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca cancelling outPedro Gonçalves' opener to win 3–2 on aggregate and advance to the quarter-finals.[18]
In the quarter-finals, Atalanta were drawn against English club and tournament favouritesLiverpool. In the first leg, Atalanta upset the English team 3–0 away atAnfield, with a brace from Gianluca Scamacca and a goal fromMario Pašalić, ending Liverpool's 34-game unbeaten run at home across all competitions.[19] In the second leg, Atalanta lost 1–0 with a goal fromMohamed Salah, but the win in the second leg allowed Atalanta to advance 3–1 on aggregate.[20]
In the semi-finals, Atalanta were drawn against French clubMarseille. In the first leg at theStade de Marseille, Atalanta drew 1–1, with goals from Gianluca Scamacca andChancel Mbemba for the hosts.[21] In the second leg at the Stadio di Bergamo, the hosts defeated Marseille 3–0, with goals from Ademola Lookman, Matteo Ruggeri, andEl Bilal Touré. Atalanta won 4–1 on aggregate to qualify for their first European final.[22]
_(cropped).jpg)
Bayer Leverkusen qualified for the Europa League group stage by finishing 6th in the2022–23 Bundesliga, due toRB Leipzig winning the2022–23 DFB-Pokal while also qualifying for theChampions League based on league position, meaning the Europa League place was passed down to sixth place. Leverkusen were drawn into Group H alongside reigningAzerbaijan Premier League championsQarabağ,Eliteserien fifth-place teamMolde, andAllsvenskan third-place teamBK Häcken.[10]
In Leverkusen's opener of the group stage, they faced BK Häcken at theBayArena and won 4–0, with goals fromFlorian Wirtz,Amine Adli,Victor Boniface andJonas Hofmann.[23] On matchday 2, Leverkusen defeated Molde away from home at theAker Stadion 2–1, with goals byJeremie Frimpong andNathan Tella, and a goal fromEmil Breivik for the hosts.[24] On matchday 3, Leverkusen were victorious again in a 5–1 thumping at home against Qarabağ.[25] On matchday 4, Leverkusen defeated Qarabağ in the reverse fixture at theTofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, with a goal from Victor Boniface.[26] On matchday 5, Leverkusen won 2–0 against BK Häcken atUllevi, with goals from Victor Boniface andPatrik Schick for the visitors.[27] On matchday 6 at the BayArena, Leverkusen grabbed a 5–1 win against Molde, with two goals fromAdam Hložek, and goals by Patrik Schick andEdmond Tapsoba as well as anown goal byMartin Ellingsen.[28]
In the round of 16, Leverkusen were drawn against Qarabağ, a rematch from the group stage clash. In the first leg at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Leverkusen drew 2–2, with goals from Florian Wirtz and Patrik Schick.[29] In the second leg, Leverkusen defeated Qarabağ 3–2, with one goal from Jeremie Frimpong and two late goals from Patrik Schick cancelling out goals fromAbdellah Zoubir andJuninho to win 5–4 on aggregate and advance to the quarter-finals.[30]
In the quarter-finals, Leverkusen were drawn against English club and reigningEuropa Conference League winnersWest Ham United. In the first leg, Leverkusen produced a 2–0 home win at BayArena, with two late goals coming from Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface.[31] In the second leg, the match ended with a 1–1 draw, where despiteMichail Antonio opened the scoring early for West Ham, Jeremie Frimpong equalised late on to ensure that the two goal advantage from the first leg was enough for Leverkusen to advance 3–1 on aggregate.[32]
In the semi-finals, Leverkusen were drawn against Italian clubRoma, runners-up of theprevious edition. In the first leg at theStadio Olimpico, Leverkusen won 2–0, with goals from Florian Wirtz andRobert Andrich enough for the away team to carry an advantage into the second leg.[33] In the second leg at the BayArena, the hosts came from 2–0 down after 66 minutes, courtesy of a brace fromLeandro Paredes, before scoring two goals late on via an own goal fromGianluca Mancini and a 97th minute goal fromJosip Stanišić to draw the match 2–2. Leverkusen won 4–2 on aggregate and progressed to the Europa League final, while also setting a new European unbeaten record of 49 successive games, surpassing theBenfica side that was managed between December 1963 and February 1965.[34]
The original identity of the 2024 UEFA Europa League final was unveiled at the group stage draw on 1 September 2023.[35]
The ambassador for the final was former Irish internationalJohn O'Shea who walked onto the pitch with the trophy before the match.[36]
From a capacity of 48,000 seats, 36,000 were made available to the fans and the general public, of which both competing team's supporters received an allocation of 12,000 tickets each.[37]
In the 12th minute, Atalanta went in front afterTeun Koopmeiners played athrough-ball toDavide Zappacosta who then played the ball low across from the right whereAdemola Lookman was lurking, and the Nigerian managed to run in front ofExequiel Palacios and strike the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net to give the Italian side the lead. Lookman doubled Atalanta's lead fourteen minutes later, after collecting the ball anddribbling pastGranit Xhaka before striking his effort into the bottom right-hand corner of the net to make it 2–0.[38]Leverkusen came close to getting a goal back afterÁlex Grimaldo was played through on goal by Palacios, but the Spaniard's attemptedchip ended up safely in the hands ofJuan Musso. Atalanta pushed for a third as the game progressed, withCharles De Ketelaere having an effort saved byMatěj Kovář, andPiero Hincapié forced to prevent across from Koopmeiners from reaching De Ketelaere. In the 75th minute, Lookman completed hishat-trick after receiving the ball fromGianluca Scamacca on the left before managing to find himself space and get a shot away, which ended up in the top right-hand corner of the net. The match ended with Atalanta winning 3–0, as they secured their first ever European title.[39]
The "home" team (for administrative purposes) was determined by an additional draw held after the quarter-final and semi-final draws.
| Atalanta | 3–0 | Bayer Leverkusen |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
          Atalanta[4] |      Bayer Leverkusen[4] |
|  |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[2] | Match rules[40]
|
|
|
|
With their victory, it gave Atalanta only the second major trophy in their 116-year history, over six decades after the Bergamo side had won the Coppa Italia in 1963. They were the tenth different Italian side to do so, second only to sides from England. Aged 66 years and 117 days, Atalanta managerGian Piero Gasperini became the fourth oldest manager to win a major European trophy afterRaymond Goethals,Jupp Heynckes, andAlex Ferguson. This was also the biggest margin of defeat for a German team in a major European final match since the1993 UEFA Cup, whenBorussia Dortmund lost 3–0 toJuventus in the second leg. In single-game only finals, it was the biggest margin of defeat for a German team sinceEintracht Frankfurt lost 7–3 toReal Madrid in the1960 European Cup final. Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman was selected asman of the match after scoring a hat-trick in the game.[1] His treble was the sixth to be scored in a major UEFA final, and was the first since Heynckes' forBorussia Mönchengladbach againstTwente in the1975 second leg game, which was the only other one to be scored in a UEFA Cup/Europa League final. In a single-match major European final, it was the first hat-trick sincePierino Prati did so for another Italian side inMilan in the1969 European Cup final.
Conversely, Bayer Leverkusen suffered their first and only defeat of their2023–24 season. They had been unbeaten in all 51 of their matches in all competitions this term before the final.[42] They nevertheless went on to win the2024 DFB-Pokal final three days later, completing adomestic double.[43]
TheMayor of Bergamo,Giorgio Gori said that anopen top bus parade would be held to allow for celebrations in the city.[44]
