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It was a interesting end to the Champions League playoffs for Africa, with two of its superstars led by Nigeria's Ademola Lookman missing penalty kicks for their clubs.
The UEFA Champions League playoffs concluded with a notable twist for African football stars, as both Nigeria's Ademola Lookman and Guinea's Serhou Guirassy missed crucial penalty kicks for their respective clubs.
Guirassy, the 28-year-old striker for Borussia Dortmund, had a golden opportunity to add to his impressive tally of 10 goals this season during the second leg of their clash against Sporting Lisbon.
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However, he missed a penalty in the 59th minute, denying him the chance to become the first Dortmund player to score 11 goals in a single Champions League campaign.
The penalty was expertly saved by Sporting's goalkeeper Rui Silva, who was named man of the match, keeping the score at 0-0 on Wednesday night.
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While Guirassy's miss was disappointing, it did not prove costly for Dortmund, who advanced to the knockout stage with a 3-0 aggregate victory over Sporting Lisbon.
In contrast, Lookman's penalty miss had dire consequences for Atalanta, who were eliminated from the competition after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Club Brugge.
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Lookman had come off the bench and scored just 35 seconds into the second half, igniting hopes of a comeback. However, his opportunity to equalise was squandered when he failed to convert a penalty in the 61st minute.
Following the match, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini publicly criticised Lookman for taking the penalty, calling him "one of the worst penalty takers I've ever seen."
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In response to Gasperini's remarks, Lookman expressed his disappointment on social media for ‘Being singled out’ disrespectfully, while clarifying that he took the penalty at the instruction of the designated taker.
Despite their respective misses, both players remain key figures in their teams. Guirassy continues to lead Dortmund as this season's top scorer, while Lookman has been instrumental in Atalanta's success throughout the season.
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However, with tensions rising between Lookman and Gasperini following the controversy, speculation about Lookman's future at Atalanta is mounting.
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