One-time CAF POTY reveals what Atletico Madrid did differently in their win over Barca

One-time CAF Player of the Year Ademola Lookman has revealed what Atletico Madrid did differently to secure a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Afrik Foot reports.

The 28-year-old joined Los Rojiblancos from Atalanta in a €35m deal on February 2nd and immediately got the ground running with a goal and an assist against Real Betis in the Copa Del Rey quarter-final.

The league clash against El Glorioso didn’t go so well for Diego Simeone’s side as they lost, but they turned up the heat last night at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Lookman, Griezmann, and Julian Alvarez all scored to seal a 4-0 win over Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.

What Atletico Madrid did differently against Barca – Ademola Lookman

The 2014 La Liga winners had the most attempts against Betis, but weren’t clinical enough, and Lookman mentioned they improved on that against Barcelona.

“The performance of the team was top-notch tonight. In both boxes, we were clinical, and we showed a togetherness today which was impeccable,” the 2024 CAF Player of the Year said in an interview with Sporty TV.

“We got the energy from our fans, and they were superb, so we’re glad to get going.

Quizzed if playing against Barcelona gave him more boost to score as an attacker, the former RB Leipzig man said:

“You always want to score as an attacker, to get in a dangerous positions so I just try to be there in the right places at the right time.

“The expectations for this team are clear; we knew what we had to do because the stakes are very high.

“We showed what we were all about, and it was a great performance. It’s a huge victory, but we have a few more games before we play them away.

“So we’ll keep the same focus, and we’re looking forward to the games ahead,” Lookman concluded.

Up next for Los Rojiblancos is a trip to Estadio Ontime Butarque in the league as they take on Rayo Vallecano.