Penalty Miss: Lookman Furious Over Gasperini’s Criticism

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerian international, Ademola Lookman, has released a statement expressing disappointment after Atalanta coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, heavily criticised him for missing a crucial penalty on Tuesday.

Lookman, who is the current African footballer of the year, scored Atalanta’s only goal in the match but missed a crucial penalty that could have given his side a chance to fight back in the 1-3 loss against Belgium’s Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League play-off match.

Speaking after the match on Tuesday, Coach Gasperini did not hold back in his assessment of the player’s decision to take the spot-kick.

“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said.

The game marked Lookman’s return to football after injury kept him out for weeks.

“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,” Lookman wrote in a statement on X.

The 26 years old attacker also clarified that he did not take the penalty on his own accord but was instructed to do so by the designated taker, who in this case is Mateo Retegui.

Lookman has been one of Atalanta’s top performers in recent times and has scored his last four penalties.

He scored a hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen to secure the club’s first-ever European title last year.

He also led Nigeria to the solver medal at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Cote d’Ivoire earlier last year.

These performances also earned him a 14th-place finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings and the 2024 CAF Player of the Year award.