Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has spoken highly of Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman after his decisive performance helped the Spanish club reach the UEFA Champions League semifinals at the expense of Barcelona.
Atletico went into the second leg of their quarter-final tie with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in Barcelona. Despite losing the home match 2-1, Lookman’s goal in the first half proved to be the difference in the tie as Atletico progressed 3-2 on aggregate, sealing a place in the last four for the first time in nearly a decade.
“He’s still evolving, he’s improving a lot defensively which makes him even more important and of course he’s carrying more weight in the team”, the Argentine said after the match.”
“He’s brilliant offensively, he’s very courageous and he’s very good in one on one. Since I’ve been at the club, we’ve never had players like that with those features and well, we are betting everything on playing almost four forwards. Giuliano is a winger, he’s almost a forward and when he attacks, he’s an extra forward and when we attack we played from the heart.”
“The amount of running we did was unbelievable and Lookman’s offensive importance giving pace to the team when he was on the ball. We need more from him, he has more in his tank and we’ve seen it in Nigeria and well, he’s always played great”, Simeone concluded.”
Diego Simeone stressed the importance of Lookman’s contribution since joining Atletico in the winter transfer window. The Nigerian forward has quickly become integral to the team’s attack, providing goals and assists in key moments and justifying his reported €35 million move from Atalanta with his influence in big matches.
Despite a spirited comeback attempt from Barcelona, which saw early goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres in the second leg, Lookman’s response in the first half ensured Atletico retained the edge they built in the first leg and moved forward in Europe’s premier club competition.
With Atletico now set to face either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semifinals, Simeone’s side will carry the confidence of their victory over one of Europe’s elite, with Lookman emerging as one of the standout performers in their campaign.
