Lookman Hails Atalanta’s Performance Despite Defeat Against Real Madrid
2 years ago 3 min read
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Ademola Lookman has showered praises on his Atalanta teammates for their gallant performance in the 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in a 2024-25 Champions League encounter.
Lookman, and his teammates gave Real Madrid a tough time in Bergamo with the visitors taking their chances to grab the maximum points.
Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring in the 10th minute for his 50th goal of the competition, De Ketelaere brought Atalanta back into the game just before halftime from the spot.
Vinicius restored Real Madrid’s lead in the 62nd minute with a neat finish into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.
Jude Bellingham added the third goal three minutes later before Lookman produced a superb low drive finish past Thibaut Courtois in the 65th minute to reduce the deficit, but Real Madrid held on to earn the maximum points.
Lookman was named the player of the match following another impressive performance for Atalanta.
He was full of praise for his teammates for showing their quality against the defending champions.
Lookman said: “We are disappointed with the result because we felt we could have done more, but there is also pride. We showed that we can compete against a team full of champions. Of course, there were moments when we could have done better, but I believe that today we stood up to Real, and this is important for our growth.”
Similarly, Atalanta coach Gian Gasperini was also impressed with his players’ performance against Real Madrid.
He said: “Both teams wanted to play football, there was no time-wasting or simulation, we both tried to win with our strengths. It was a great game of football.
“Naturally, there is a little disappointment, but we’re learning so much from these matches. We are just missing those tiny details, but we played with heart against great champions. We emerge defeat in the result, but not in the performance, and it will help us make another small step forward.
“There are many positives, it is motivation to keep improving. We were moving the ball around too slowly and Real Madrid closed up well, so we had to speed it up and pull them out of shape.
“It was an exceptional night, a festival of football and everyone ended the game feeling satisfied they had seen a great match. That is one of our main objectives.”
Lookman has been excellent for Atalanta this season, scoring 11 goals and recording five assists in all competitions.
He has won six player of the match awards this season, further establishing his importance to Atalanta.
The result leaves Atalanta in 11th, while Real Madrid moved up to 18th in the Champions League table.
Up next for Atalanta in the Champions League is a home clash against Sturm Graz, while Real Madrid hosts Salzburg in January.
