UCL Penalty Miss: ‘Being Singled Out Hurts, Deeply Disrespectful’ Lookman Says after Gasperini’s Criticism
Ademola Lookman has reacted to Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini’s criticism following his penalty miss in the UEFA Champions League second leg play off game against Club Brugge KV on Tuesday night.
Lookman came off the bench in the tie, replacing Mario Pasalic in the 46th minute. However, they were already trailing by 3 nil after the first-half at the Gewiss Stadium (Bergamo).
The Nigerian international reduced the deficit, making the scoreline 3-1 barely a minute after his introduction.
Atalanta were awarded a penalty 15 minutes later from a goal scored by Lookman which was eventually ruled offside upon the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The 27-year-old took the initiative of the spot-kick but couldn’t beat opposition goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet.
Club Brugge won the tie 3-1 after 90 minutes of action, and 5-2 on aggregate following a 2-1 victory in the first leg. The success secures a last 16 UCL qualification place for the Belgian side, while the Italian outfit are out of the European tournament.
However, Gasperini criticised Lookman after the game, stating that he didn’t like his decision to take the spot-kick, while describing him as a terrible penalty taker.
The manager said: “Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen”.
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal, he took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare available to take it. I didn’t like what Lookman did”.
In a statement on Wednesday, the 2024 African Footballer of the Year expressed disappointment, saying that it “feels deeply disrespectful to be singled out” despite giving his best to the club whenever he is called upon.
“It saddens me on a day like this to have to write this statement – most of all because of what we have achieved together as a team and as a city.
“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.
“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,” the former RB Leipzig player stated.
He added: “Along with our incredible fans, we as a team are hurting too with last night’s result. During the match, the designated penalty taker instructed me to take the penalty; and to support the team I took responsibility in the moment to do so.
“Life’s about challenges and turning pain into power which I’ll continue to do.”
