Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini was left fuming at Ademola Lookman following the Italian side’s exit from the Champions League at the hands of Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
The veteran coach slammed Lookman for taking the penalty kick which could have made the game 3-2 as Atalanta searched desperately for a way back into the second leg after a disastrous first half in Bergamo.
“Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen. He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal,” Gasperini said at the end of the match. “He took the ball despite [Mateo] Retegui and [Charles] De Ketelaere available to take it. I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
Lookman, sidelined with an injury for almost six weeks, was brought into the action at the start of the second half with Atalanta down 3-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
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The Nigerian forward made an instant impact with a goal within a minute of the second half as Atalanta looked to spark a huge comeback and they looked on course to set up a frenetic final 20 minutes after being awarded a penalty.
However, Lookman would see his attempt from 12 yards saved by Brugge’s former Liverpool goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet, as the Belgian visitors held on to claim a 3-1 win on the night and book a spot in the last 16 draws taking place on Friday.