Two former Arsenal teammates faced each other in the Europa League final as Bayer Leverkusen met Atalanta.
Granit Xhaka, who departed last summer after a redemption arc which saw him go from villain to fan favourite at the Emirates, was starting for Leverkusen as they continued their hunt for an unbeaten treble.
On the other side, flop defender Sead Kolasinac was starting at centre-back for Atalanta, who went into the game as underdogs off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final, which saw reported Arsenal target Andrea Cambiaso assist the winning goal for Dusan Vlahovic.
It was a shock result in Dublin, as Atalanta not only ended Leverkusen’s unbeaten run, but they did it in style with a superb 3-0 victory to win their first ever European trophy, and Kolasinac had beaten his former captain.
Arsenal flop Sead Kolasinac wins Europa League with Atalanta
Kolasinac was one of Arsene Wenger’s final signings at Arsenal, joining on a free from Schalke in 2017.
At the time of his arrival, Arsenal were playing with a back three, and the idea was that Kolasinac would start as an attacking left-wing back. However, injuries meant that his Premier League debut saw him line up at centre-back, in a 4-3 win over Leicester.
Although Kolasinac provided an assist for Danny Welbeck, his defensive frailties were apparent from day one, with Gary Neville calling him “irresponsible” for his lack of awareness at the back.
However, he has since reinvented himself. He did make 80 appearances for Arsenal, with most coming as a wing-back, but he was ultimately dropped and released by Mikel Arteta.
Kolasinac moved to Marseille before joining Atalanta, and he is now thriving as a centre-back in a back three, with a particularly impressive performance against Liverpool in the quarter-finals.
The 30-year-old started against Leverkusen after shaking off an injury, but did then have to come off at half time as a result, despite an impressive first-half display.
Sead Kolasinac delighted with win as Granit Xhaka struggles in Europa League final
Both players started as Arsenal lost the Europa League final in 2019, but whilst Kolasinac was given his moment of redemption, it was anything but for Xhaka.
The midfielder admitted pre-game that his previous experience in the Europa League final was motivating him to win this one, but he relived the nightmare as his side lost by three goals again.
Xhaka has been outstanding for Leverkusen all season, but it was a difficult night as Atalanta pressed superbly to restrict his ball progression, and he was also beaten badly by Ademola Lookman before his stunning second goal.
The former Arsenal captain was given a 2/10 rating by L’Equipe for his display in the final, and this was a heavy contrast to what Kolasinac experienced.
“Yes I think (it means) a lot. It’s a fantastic night I think for the club, for the whole staff, and for us as a team,” he stated.
“Before I had some problems with my muscle, and I said I want to go back to the pitch, but then after I felt like I cannot walk, so I decided to go out, because then I cannot help the team, but I’m really happy that I could help the team in the first half,” he stated of his half-time exit.
Xhaka did win the Bundesliga as an unbeaten champion, but whilst this final defeat will still hurt, he can look back on this season as one to be proud of, whilst Kolasinac can enjoy the fruits of his labour after a tough few years following the Europa disaster with Arsenal.