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Arsenal escaped defeat in the Champions League against Atalanta after Ademola Lookman was denied a penalty opportunity
Atalanta missed a crucial chance to secure a victory against Arsenal in their Champions League opener after Mateo Retegui’s missed penalty against the Gunners.
The Italian forward's failure from the spot, coupled with a heroic double save by Arsenal's goalkeeper, sparked a social media frenzy, with many fans questioning why Nigerian star Ademola Lookman wasn't the one stepping up to take the decisive penalty.
Retegui’s miss condemns Atalanta to draw
Arsenal appeared lacklustre for most parts of their Champions League opener against Atalanta and almost paid the price early in the second half after Thomas Partey’s foul on Ederson led to a penalty for the hosts.
After a lengthy VAR review, Mateo Retegui stepped up to take the spot-kick for Atalanta, but Arsenal's goalkeeper, David Raya, guessed right, diving to his left to stop the shot.
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Raya quickly recovered to deny a follow-up header, keeping the scoreline level and eventually earning a draw for the second-gear Gunners.
Thanks to the fantastic save from Retegui, penalty-saving specialist Raya has now saved four of the last eight penalties he has faced for Arsenal.
Fans question why Lookman did not take penalty against Arsenal
Following Retegui’s miss, fans flooded social media platforms to express their frustration, questioning why Lookman was not allowed to take the penalty.
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Fans on X questioned the motive behind Lookman, who has been one of Atalanta’s best players in the last year, not being the team’s designated penalty taker.
Given his recent proficiency in front of goal for Atalanta and Nigeria’s Super Eagles, some fans seemed certain that has he been given the chance, Lookman would have converted from the spot and potentially scored the match-winner for La Dea against Arsenal.
The fans might have had a point since Lookman has a 100% record from the spot for Atalanta, and has only missed one penalty in his entire career.
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