Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has helped Atalanta secure yet another UEFA Champions League qualification after his side defeated AS Roma 2-1 in a game in which he scored.
This marks Atalanta’s fifth qualification in seven seasons.
In Serie A matchday 36, Ademola Lookman and Ghanaian player Ibrahim Sulemana scored in the first and second halves, respectively, which was enough for Atalanta to confirm their three points on their home turf.
Although Roma leveled the score during the first half, that lead was not sustainable as they conceded another goal in the second half.
While Napoli and Inter are currently at the top of the league table with a point separating them, Atalanta has secured third place after accumulating 71 points in 36 games, which is 7 points above Juventus, who sit beneath them. With 64 points, Juventus cannot surpass 70 points even if they win their two remaining games. For the fourth slot, Juventus, Lazio, Bologna, and AC Milan are all jostling to qualify.
Although Lookman may have helped his side reach the Champions League for the 2025/26 season, his participation and continuation with the team seem to be in jeopardy.
In February, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini referred to Ademola Lookman as “one of the worst penalty takers he has ever seen” after his miss from the spot hindered a comeback in their 3-1 home defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League.
The comment sparked numerous reactions from Nigerians who have demanded that the manager tender his apologies to the Africa’s reigning Footballer of the Year. Subsequently, days later, Lookman released a statement expressing his displeasure with the comment, which may have hastened his decision to leave the club at the end of the current season.
Since joining from RB Leipzig, Lookman has revived his career with Atalanta after struggling in the English Premier League on loan with Fulham and Leicester City.
Last season, he led the club to their first major trophy in 60 years after they triumphed over Bayer Leverkusen to win the UEFA Europa League 3-0, with all goals scored by Lookman in the final. He became the sixth player to score a hat-trick in a European Cup final and the first from the African continent. This achievement helped him secure the most coveted individual award, the “African Footballer of the Year,” in 2024, succeeding his compatriot Victor Osimhen, who won it in 2023.
This season, he has increased his tally with the club to 22 goals and 7 assists in his 39 appearances. In all seasons with the club, he has cumulatively scored 53 goals and made 25 assists in 117 appearances.
