Sports

Atalanta Coach Blames Lookman For Champions League Exit

ByOlamilekan Adigun

PublishedFebruary 19, 2025

Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini has knocked Ademola Lookman for stepping up to take a penalty in the club’s UEFA Champions League play-off tie against Club Brugge.

Gasperini said Lookman is one of the worst penalty-takers he has ever seen, adding that he ought not to have taken the penalty the team got during the match.

Atalanta fell 3-1 to Club Brugge in the second leg of their play-off tie at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday night.

La Dea exited the competition 5-2 on aggregate.

READ ALSO

Club Brugge stunned the hosts with three goals in the first half.

Lookman was introduced after the break and immediately reduced the deficit for Atalanta.

The Nigeria international, however, killed any hope of a fight back by missing a penalty in the 62nd minute.

“Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said after the game.

“He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookma,n in a moment of enthusiasm after scorin,g decided to take the bal,l and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.”

Olamilekan Adigun

Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.