Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has responded to his coach’s statement regarding his penalty miss during their UEFA Champions League playoff defeat to Club Brugge of Belgium last night in Italy.
Lookman, who had been out for almost two months, made the matchday squad for the club during their second-leg Champions League playoff. However, Atalanta was knocked out by Club Brugge after a 1-3 defeat, resulting in a 5-2 aggregate score.
Although Lookman scored upon coming on in the 46th minute, he later missed a spot kick in the game.
Lookman reiterated the importance of togetherness regardless of the outcome, emphasizing that it has been a key value of the team. He expressed his disappointment and felt disrespected for being singled out in such a manner:
His Full Statement:
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini made a concerning statement after the game, asserting that he was not pleased with the Nigerian forward’s decision to take the penalty. He insisted that Ademola Lookman is not among the club’s preferred penalty-takers and described him as one of the worst penalty-takers he has seen:
“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen.”
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite Retegui and De Ketelaere being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
