Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso admitted that Atalanta were the better side in the Europa League final: ‘They were the superior side and deserved the trophy.’ The Spanish coach spoke post-game, and lavished praise on the opposition, conceding that the best team won the trophy:
“We have to accept that Atalanta was superior and deserved the trophy today,” Alonso conceded. “We encountered difficulties after conceding the first goal and struggled to find a solution. It was very challenging for us to create good chances. It simply wasn’t our night.”
Addressing concerns about Florian Wirtz’s performance, Alonso commented, “Florian was fine. We’ve been cautious with him in the last month, and perhaps he lacked a bit of playing time, but he was in good shape, and there are no excuses.”
Reflecting on the match itself, Alonso acknowledged Atalanta’s defensive prowess, saying, “Whenever we had favorable situations, Atalanta did a really good job of getting back into position. We were prepared for this, but they were better than us. It’s football; it happens.”
Looking ahead, Alonso emphasized the need for his team to learn from the experience and turn the pain of defeat into motivation for future endeavors. “We’ll have to understand what happened because we have another important final on Saturday,” he remarked. “The defeat certainly hurts, but we must use this pain positively. What we’ve achieved is truly exceptional, and we should be proud. We will learn; we had a great opportunity, and we will give it our all. Today didn’t go as we expected; we weren’t at our highest level. Everyone, myself included. So, we will learn a lot.”
