Nigeria supports Ademola Lookman after Gasperini’s unfair criticism

Club Brugge shocked Atalanta by scoring three times in the first half to put the Italian side on the brink of exit in the playoff phase of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night. The Bergamo-based club had lost 2-1 in the first leg in Belgium and was very hopeful of turning the scoreline but got the shock of their lives when the Belgians visited in the first forty-five minutes.

It was 5-1 on aggregate in favour of Club Brugge before the commencement of the second half. 2024 African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, was introduced by Gasperini and instantly pulled one back to make the score 3-1. 16 minutes later, Atalanta was awarded a penalty and the Nigerian forward stepped up and unfortunately missed the penalty. That was the beginning of the end for Atalanta as they never fought back and subsequently lost 5-2 on aggregate.

Soon after the game, Atalanta’s manager, who has transformed Lookman, was livid and criticised him for the penalty he took.

What Gasperini said after the Club Brugge defeat

“Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” said Italian manager Gasperini.

“He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman, in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring, decided to take the ball, and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all”.

Lookman’s Penalty kick success

The reigning African Footballer of the Year had converted four out of six penalties in his professional career before the Club Brugge match having also missed one for Fulham when he attempted a Panenka-style spot-kick in 2020.
In total, Lookman has scored four and missed three penalties in his entire career.

Lookman’s reaction after Gasperini’s harsh criticism

“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo,” Lookman responded on social media on Wednesday.

“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my time here – the majority of which I have never spoken about because, in my opinion, the team must always be protected and must come first.

“This makes what happened last night even more hurtful. Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result.”

Atalanta manager Gasperini believes Mateo Retegui and Charles de Ketelaere should have taken the spot-kick as they are the first choice.

However, Lookman said he was permitted by “the designated penalty taker” to take it.

What Nigeria said on X

The entire Nigeria has given their 100% support to the forward. The Super Eagles’ official X account wrote, “We are with you, Ade”.

Many football fans believe Gian Pierro Gasperini got it wrong after heavily criticising one of his best players and they feel Ademola was scapegoated.