Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has slammed Ademola Lookman for missing a penalty in their 3-1 Champions League loss to Club Brugge on Tuesday, which led to their elimination from the competition.
Lookman, after recovering from a knee injury which kept him out for several weeks, came off the bench at halftime with Atalanta trailing 3-0. However, he quickly scored seconds after coming on, reviving hopes of a comeback.
On the hour mark, Atalanta were awarded a penalty after Juan Cuadrado was fouled by Christos Tzolis. Lookman stepped up to take the penalty, but his effort was saved by Simon Mignolet, boosting Club Brugge’s morale and securing their 3-1 win on the night and 5-2 aggregate victory.
Gasperini was furious with Lookman’s penalty miss in his post-match interview, stating, “Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen.”
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“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.”
Nigerian and Atalanta fans have criticized Gasperini’s comments, arguing that the outcome of the game was already likely decided before Lookman’s penalty miss. Many believe Gasperini’s words are disrespectful and may trigger a negative reaction from the team, who respect Lookman for his achievements.
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