Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso acknowledged the bitter disappointment of their Europa League final defeat to Atalanta but emphasized the importance of using this setback as motivation for their upcoming German Cup final.
Leverkusen, nicknamed "Neverlusen" for breaking Bayern Munich's Bundesliga title monopoly, suffered a 3-0 loss, ending their remarkable 51-match unbeaten streak.
Despite the defeat, Leverkusen still have a chance to clinch a domestic double by defeating Kaiserslautern in Saturday's German Cup final, a feat that would have been a remarkable achievement in an otherwise stellar season.
"The normality is not to get defeated in the 52nd game. Normally, it happens much earlier in the season. It's been quite exceptional what we have achieved, and we have to be really proud, probably in some time but for sure today it's painful," Alonso told a news conference.
"We will learn, I will learn because these defeats in the final, you don't forget them."
Long derided as "Neverkusen" for their failure to win a major title for decades, Leverkusen had won only two major trophies in their 119-year history before this season.
So while Wednesday's final could have delivered a second European title following the 1988 UEFA Cup success, a second-ever German Cup is nothing to be sniffed at.
"It will be a test how we deal with it because we have another big thing on Saturday," the former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich midfielder said.
"It's going to be a challenge for us how we come back from today's defeat and how we deal with the pain. Let's try and have a big influence on our mindset for Saturday."
