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Atalanta's coach Gian Piero Gasperini continues to blow hot after Nigeria's Ademola Lookman and the club's star player missed a crucial penalty against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Gian Piero Gasperini, the Atalanta coach, has continued to express his frustration following Ademola Lookman's crucial penalty miss against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
The Italian manager is still fuming after the 27-year-old missed the spot-kick in their 5-2 aggregate defeat to the Belgian side, which ultimately led to their elimination from the competition on Tuesday night.
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07:41 - 19.02.2025
Lookman makes Champions League history with 35-second goal as 'first Nigerian' despite Atalanta heartbreak
Ademola Lookman returned to action for Atalanta to make Champions League history despite the club's shock exit against Club Brugge.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Soccer News in Nigeria from Pulse Sports
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09:11 - 19.02.2025
A very useless coach – ‘Angry’ Nigerians tear into Atalanta coach for blaming Lookman after missed penalty
Ademola Lookman was called out by his coach after Atalanta were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Despite the disappointing result, Lookman had made an instant impact upon his return from injury. He came off the bench at halftime, with Atalanta already trailing 3-0 in the second leg at home, and scored just 35 seconds after his introduction.
However, the Super Eagles star's night took a dramatic turn when he stepped up to take a penalty in the second half.
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With Atalanta down 5-2 on aggregate and desperate for a comeback, Lookman took the responsibility ahead of teammates Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere but failed to convert from 12 yards.
The missed penalty allowed Brugge to maintain their lead and secure their qualification to the round of 16. After the match, Gasperini initially did not hold back in his criticism of Lookman. He stated:
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*"Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen. He took the ball despite Retegui and De Ketelaere being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
Now, Gasperini has spoken further about how the miss affected his team, saying:
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"The missed penalty dampened our enthusiasm,” he said per UEFA.com. “From a sporting point of view, we were good and we kept up the pace. But they had fast strikers, and that doesn't depend on our fitness."
Reflecting on the result as a whole, Gasperini admitted that it was a deserved defeat for his club, as they failed to capitalise on their opportunities.
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"The elimination is deserved; let's give Brugge credit. They were two strange games; the Champions League is a competition of episodes,” he added.
“Tonight, we conceded early, and they made the most of it. It wasn't a fair result to end the first half 3-0 down – it could have been 2-1. There were so many situations. We had a lot of chances across the 180 minutes, especially in the second halves.”
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While it was despair for the African Player of the Year and his Atalanta teammates, it was joy for another Nigerian star, Raphael Onyedika, who made history with his Club Brugge as the first team from Belgium to make it to the round of 16 in the modern UCL era.
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