Julius OkorieAtalanta’s ouster from the Champions League has become subject of debate and disagreement, after Coach Gian Piero Gasperini heaped blame on Ademola Lookman for missing a penalty.
In a post-match interview, Gasperini singled out the reigning African footballer of the year for blame, for having his penalty saved by Brugge goalkeeper in the 3-1 defeat by Club Brugge.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAn angry Gasperini, described Lookman as the worst penalty taker he has seen, insisting that his decision to take the penalty was a huge mistake.
Atalanta lost the first leg of their two legged play-off against Club Brugge 2-1 without Lookman who was then still recovering from injury.
They were happy to have Lookman back in action for the second leg and he made instant impact scoring barely 35 seconds after entering the match, elevating hopes for a comeback when a VAR review awarded Atalanta a penalty due to a foul in the box.
Lookman eager to further consolidate on his goal, stepped forward to take the penalty, but Mignolet exhibited excellent goalkeeping skills to save Lookman’s penalty, and also thwarted Retegui’s follow-up effort, allowing Club Brugge to maintain their lead.
In his post-match remarks, Gasperini pointed out the importance of decision-making in high-pressure situations, particularly regarding penalty takers.
“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said.
He explained that Lookman took the initiative to kick the penalty after scoring but emphasised that Retegui and De Keteleare were also available and could have taken responsibility. “I didn’t like what Lookman did,” Gasperini added.
But some soccer fans have criticised the coach for failing to recognise the effort made by Lookman and choosing to blame him instead.
READ ALSO:UEFA Champions League: Atalanta Bundled Out, Despite Lookman’s Effort
BUKI@peteradediran0 said “This should be a conversation behind closed doors.”
Soyoye 💡❤️@iam_oluwafunso reacting to the Gasperini’s verdict said ” He should shut up. So soon he has forgotten what he did.
And beside just his first miss penalty and Retegui has lost 2, he didn’t say anything. The match he has already lost now shifting the blame @Alookman_ it is time for you to leave, thank God you are yet to renew.”
SpursD22 @SpursD22 while agreeing with Gasperini on the the penalty, however believes that Lookman deserves better respect, saying :”I like Gasperini and I agree with him that Lookman is a poor penalty taker but shut up man, Lookman is the only reason you guys even had some sort of chance to make a comeback and is a big reason why you’re still in the title race. Look at how bad Atalanta has been without him.”
BEE 2 📸 @BiggerFranklyn blamed the coach for the result he got, accusing him of benching his best player until the team was three goals down.”Benched your best player, and go 3 goals down. Lookman comes in d second half and scored within 1 minute.
Yes, Lookman was wrong for taking the penalty, but blasting him like dat!!!Gasperini obviously has a beef against Lookman , we would soon find out what it is” he said.
Lookman who joined Atalanta from Leicester City in 2022 has made 81 appearances for the club with 34 goals to his credit in all competitions.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
