How Ademola Lookman performed in Atletico Madrid’s 2-3 loss to Spurs

Super Eagles and Atletico Madrid forward Ademola Lookman played just 64 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London as his side qualified for the UCL quarter final, Afrik Foot reports.

A 5-2 win at the Wanda Metropolitano pretty much guaranteed Diego Simeone’s men a place in the next round of the UEFA Champions League, but Spurs dared to do in front of their fans as they harboured hopes of a comeback.

Randal Kolo Muani headed home in the 30th minute as the London Stadium crowd cheered, but the tie was put to bed when Julian Alvarez levelled the scores just after the restart.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Atletico Madrid: How Ademola Lookman performed

The ex-Atalanta man wasn’t involved in a lot of possession, accruing just 37 touches, as most moments of the game was transitional, with Spurs and Atletico going end to end.

While the 2024 CAF Player of the Year has had a good return of goal involvements since joining Los Rojiblancos last month, his defensive awareness still needs some work.

“Above all, he contributes goals. In principle, more goals than playmaking,” Simeone told Movistar in quotes revealed by Fotmob, speaking about Lookman.

“He can improve both his overall play and his defensive work; we need him to adapt to the team’s style of play, and I see him eager and keen to improve.

“Since he arrived, he’s said he wants to improve as a footballer. His goal-scoring instinct isn’t a coincidence, and we need more of him in terms of overall play.”

The coach’s concerns were evident tonight, as Lookman failed to close down several of Spurs’ attacks down the right, leaving Matteo Ruggeri isolated.

However, he’s not a man to not be counted upon when a goal is needed. Lookman showed positional awareness just after the restart.

Tottenham were looking to score their second of the night at one end of the pitch before Xavi Simons lost the ball.

A chance for a counterattack opened up for Atleti. Los Colchoneros darted down the left with Ademola Lookman, who cut the ball back to Alvarez inside the Spurs box.

The Argentine wasted no time, swivelling his efforts into the back of the net to score his eighth goal of the Champions League campaign.

About ten minutes later, the former Everton attacker got into a heated clash with Radu Dragusin.

Lookman took the Romanian on, but the Spurs defender hassled him from behind, a tackle that didn’t go down well with the Nigerian.

He then hit Dragusin on the chest, and the defender fell. Referee Daniel Siebert issued a yellow card to the one-time UEFA Europa League winner. Pedro Porro wasn’t satisfied with the referee’s decision as he wanted a stricter measure.

The Spaniard eventually talked himself into the referee’s book as he was also shown a yellow card. Six minutes later, Lookman was withdrawn, possibly with a clash against Real Madrid on Simeone’s mind, as he wants his best players available for El Derbi Madrileño.

Atletico Madrid will play against Barcelona in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League. The first leg is scheduled for April 7th at Spotify Camp Nou, while the return leg will be played the following week.

Both sides previously locked horns in the Copa Del Rey, but Lookman’s side emerged victorious with a 4-3 aggregate win.