Leverkusen and Atalanta defy all expectations and rise as underdogs in European football – Firstpost

Football used to be all about the merits of the rich clubs with more money, who buy the best players, create the best facilities and also hire the best coaches to get the best results. But this year, all that has changed. The big giants have had to take a back seat because the underdogs have been on the rise this season.

It was not just one European football club that rewrote the script that had been handed down for centuries: the script that those who spend more also earn more.

This season's Europa League final saw Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta battle it out for the title – two clubs that have achieved next to nothing in European history reaching the final. Of course, if the same two clubs had reached the final last year, it would have been a little shocking and probably boring, but not this year.

Because this season was full of surprises.

In the Europa League final, Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to win their first trophy in 61 years. Ademola Lookman scored all three goals for the Serie A club and became the first player since 1975 to score a hat-trick in a European final.

Atalanta's last cup win came in 1963, when they triumphed in the Copa Italia. After that, the club spent years in the second division of the Italian league.

Leverkusen should not be too discouraged, however, as the team coached by Xabi Alonoso was unbeaten for 51 games until the Europa League final, winning their first Bundesliga title.

Bayer won the battle against Bayern Munich, who had bought Harry Kane and already had a number of stars in their squad with whom they had won the league for eleven seasons in a row.

Leverkusen also won the DFB Cup and thus the League Cup double.

Another memorable underdog story from the 2023/24 season is that of Borussia Dortmund, who reached the UEFA Champions League final after defeating cash-rich Paris Saint-Germain. They will face 14-time record winners Real Madrid in the top match on June 2.

VfB Stuttgart also finished second in the Bundesliga, ahead of FC Bayern, and qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2010.

Meanwhile, La Liga clubs Girona from Spain and Bologna from Italy have also qualified for the Champions League for the first time in the 2023/24 season.

All of these clubs have shown that they can fight for and achieve glory without money and star power. They have shown that football is not just about having the best players and coaches to get good results. You can also develop young players, have the best system and love the game.