Ademola Lookman has expressed his disappointment after coach Gasperani single him out for blame as Atalanta’s exit from the UEFA Champions League, Sports247 reports.
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Ademola Lookman came from the bench after a few weeks from injury and one scored for Atalanta in their 3-1 loss at the Gweiss stadium against Club Brugge on Tuesday.
The result is enough to knock Atalanta out of the competition after losing the first leg by 2-1 and 5-2 on aggregate.
Going into the second leg, Atalanta FC were confident of overturning the 2-1 first leg result but it turned out to be a mirage as Atalanta conceded 3-0 up in the first half to give them a very hope of coming back in the second half.
Ademola Lookman who started the game on the bench reduced the deficit but however missed a crucial penalty in the 61st minute to give Atalanta a rare chance of coming back into the game.
Coach Gasperani pierced into the Nigeria forward who has proven to be the most pivotal in Atalanta’s attack in the last 12 months.
The coach described Ademola Lookman as the worst penalty talker he has ever seen dispensing his anger in the Ademola for Atalanta’s failure to go beyond the knock playoff phase against all odds.
He said: “Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty; he is one of the worst penalty-takers I’ve ever seen.
“He has a frankly terrible record even in training; he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman, in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring, decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all.
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
In a counter reaction, Ademola Lookman expressed his hurt in the comment of the coach, taking to the social media to express his disappointment over Gasperani’s comment.
He wrote on intasgram “It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement – most of all because of what we have achieved as a team and as City.
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and everyday to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.”
“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened last night even more hurtful.”
” Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result. During the match the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so. Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”
The Atalanta number 11 found the net against VfB Stuttgart, followed by goals against Real Madrid, Sturm Graz and Club Brugge.
UEFA officially confirmed Lookman’s record, acknowledging him as the first Nigerian to achieve this milestone in the competition, spanning from the group stage (or league phase) to the final.
Despite his personal success on the night Lookman’s night went sour Atalanta’s exit the penalty miss’ controversies.
