Atalanta make their own history in Europa League; Barcelona chase another Women’s Champions League title

Happy Friday! A major European final is officially scheduled with Atalanta beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, and between the FA Cup and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, there is plenty more in store for this weekend. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest news.

Football correction

All times US/East

Friday, May 24th
NWSL: Orlando Pride vs. Portland Thorns, 7pm NWSL+

Saturday, May 25th
FA Cup: Manchester City x Manchester United, 10am ESPN+
UWCL: Barcelona x Lyon, 12pm DAZN
DFB Pokal: Kaiserslautern x Leverkusen, 2pm ESPN+
Serie A: Milan x Salernitana, 2:45 pm Paramount+
MLS: Vancouver Whitecaps x Inter Miami, 10:30 pm Apple TV+

Sunday, May 26th
Championship Playoffs: Leeds vs. Southampton, 10am ESPN+
Serie A: Hellas Verona x Inter, 2:45 pm Paramount+

The hotline

Atalanta makes history

The underdogs prevailed in Dublin on Wednesday as Atalanta broke Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-match winning streak in style with a 3-0 victory to take home the Europa League trophy. The unlikely victory came thanks to a hattrick from Ademola Lookman, who became the first person to score three goals in a Europa League final.

Lookman’s first goal came in the 12th minute and set the tone for the rest of the game, in which Atalanta let Leverkusen have the ball, but never lost momentum and were ultimately more clinical. The goalscorer had one of the best performances of his career and was emblematic of an Atalanta team that got everything rightt, according to Mike Grella.

• Grid: “[There was] so much hard work all around [Lookman] to put him in those situations, 1 on 1. I think he [had] four successful dribbles out of six. He was always beating his defender and his finishing is fantastic. You find a lot of wingers who have all the tools, but maybe not the finishing, but he finishes like a number 9. He’s just a piece in the Atalanta side, though, which I thought was perfect on the night – very, very good stuff. … You talk about the nerves and you talk about different moments, Lookman didn’t make any mistakes.

There were many reasons for Atalanta to feel triumphant on Wednesday. The club won its first European title and only its second trophy, the first winning the Coppa Italia six decades earlier. The win in Dublin marked a high point for a club that began an aspiring rebuild several years ago, which Francesco Porzio notes included a motley cast of characters, including a former player, American investors and respected coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who won your first- ever trophy.

• Porzio: “Former club player and Italian businessman Antonio Percassi decided to buy the club back in 2010 and fortunes changed for the better and lately it has had a big American influence. and just an hour’s drive from Milan, Atalanta started from scratch and struggled for a few years until coach Gasperini was appointed in 2016. The former Genoa coach created one of the most interesting projects in Italian football, based on young players from academia and. great observation from club directors in recent years It worked so well that Atalanta reached the Champions League four times in recent years, including when they lost to PSG in the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 edition.

The historic victory means that Atalanta will return to the Champions League next season, offering them the last chance to chart their admirable upward trajectory to the top ranks of European football.

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Barcelona and Lyon chase UWCL glory

The next UEFA trophy presentation takes place on Saturday, when Barcelona and Lyon face off in Bilbao to win the Women’s Champions League, in a battle between the old and new powers of women’s football.

Barcelona return to the showcase a year after winning the title and remain the gold standard in a new era of women’s football, thanks in no small part to their star-studded squad. Aitana Bonmati is still at the top of her game after winning unprecedented trophies in 2023 and has scored five goals this season, while Caroline Graham Hansen has equaled that number. If anyone is having a great season, it’s 20-year-old Salma Paralluelo. She went from excelling with 15 goals in 30 games last season to a top scorer this season with 32 goals in 34 games. She also leads her team with six goals in the competition, emerging as the latest attacking star of a juggernaut.

They will be eyeing revenge against Lyon, who defeated them 3-1 in the 2022 final to win a record eight UWCL titles. The French champions have already been O definition of excellence in Europe, but in the face of increased investment and competition from across the continent, they have demonstrated the ability to keep pace. Kadidiatou Diani leads the competition with eight goals, while Ada Hegerberg has five, allowing Lyon to reach Saturday’s final with relative ease. United States women’s team captain Lindsey Horan is also among the highlights and will be seeking her second Champions League winner’s medal.

Saturday’s match is expected to be the latest example of the increasingly competitive nature of women’s football, and not just on the pitch. Barcelona coach Jonathan Girladez and Lyon counterpart Sonia Bompastor take on new senior roles this summer – the former has already announced he will join NWSL side Washington Spirit and the latter is expected to replace Emma Hayes at Chelsea. Their moves demonstrate the ambition of clubs on both sides of the Atlantic and will also constitute the latest test of Barcelona and Lyon’s ability to maintain their high standing under new leadership.

Top stories

Atalanta’s perfect night: Find out more about Atalanta’s victory over Leverkusen, in which Gasperini and company put on a perfect performance against seemingly unbeatable opposition.

Hayes officially begins: Emma Hayes is making the rounds after officially assuming her role as head coach of the USWNT and says her main focus for the national team is to guide them through the changing landscape of women’s soccer.

Managerial musical chairs: Thiago Motta is getting closer to becoming Juventus coachVincent Kompany is in advanced negotiations to take over at Bayern Munich, Hansi Flick is emerging as one of the main candidates to succeed Xavi at BarcelonaMauricio Pochettino is linked to the England role, and Eric ten Hag’s days at Manchester United look increasingly numbered.

Paquetá charged: The FA has charged West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá with four significant breaches of its playing rules, claiming he intentionally sought yellow cards on four occasions.

Lewandowski on Mbappé: Robert Lewandowski said he is not “scared” by Real Madrid’s potential to upstage Barcelona with the imminent arrival of Kylian Mbappe.

The back row

Best Bets

• FA Cup Final: Manchester City v Manchester United, Saturday, 10am
  THE PICK: Manchester City will win 3-0 (+850) – Manchester City have scored three goals in both of their previous games against their rivals this season, and there is little to suggest they cannot do so again on Saturday. Expect the motivation that propelled City to a fourth successive Premier League title to deliver for the last time before the summer, especially if Phil Foden and Erling Haaland are in the line-up.
• DFB Pokal Final: Kaiserslautern v Bayer Leverkusen, Saturday, 2pm

THE CHOICE: Florian Wirtz will score (+135) – Their 51-game unbeaten run may officially be over, but Leverkusen can still end the season on a high with their first DFB Pokal in three decades. They are heavy favorites against second division side Kaiserslautern, so expect some of Leverkusen’s best to appear on the scoresheet. This includes Florian Wirtz, who was the star of this season’s historic show.

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