First of his kind – What Diego Simeone said about Barcelona nemesis Ademola Lookman

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone waxed lyrical about Super Eagles attacker Ademola Lookman following their progression to the UEFA Champions League semifinal on Wednesday, Afrik-Foot reports.

Lookman was the hero for Los Rojiblancos on Tuesday, as he scored his side’s solitary goal against Barcelona. Atletico Madrid had a two-goal advantage going into the game, but that was wiped out after just 24 minutes, courtesy of goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.

It was looking like Simeone’s men were up for a real spanking. However, they got some respite after Lookman scored in the 31st minute.

That strike turned out to be the last of the game, as it ended 2-1 at the Estadio Metropolitano and 3-2 on aggregate. They will now face the winner of the tie between Arsenal and Sporting CP.

Diego Simeone Praises Ademola Lookman

Tuesday’s performance was just another impressive show for Ademola Lookman, who has been a revelation since his €35 million move from Atlanta in January.

Against Barcelona, he was brilliant when he was needed most, and he was the difference maker on the night.

His performance impressed coach Diego Simeone, who waxed lyrical about the Super Eagles star has been one of the best he has ever worked with.

​”Well, he’s (Lookman) still evolving. He’s improving a lot defensively, which makes him even more important. And, of course, he’s carrying more weight in the team,” Simeone said post game.

“​He’s brilliant offensively; he’s very courageous; he’s very good on the one-on-one. Since I’ve been in the club, we never had players like that, with those features.​ And well, we are betting everything on playing almost with four forwards.

“Giuliano is a winger; he’s almost a forward. And when he attacks, he’s an extra forward. And when we attack, we play from the heart.​

“The amount of running we did was unbelievable and the offensive importance of them just giving the pace to the team when he was on the ball. We need more from him; he has more in his tank. We’ve seen it in Nigeria and, well, he’s always played great.”

It is not an easy thing to steal coach Simeone’s heart. But Lookman has done it in less than three months. He has played all the big games at the club, and he has done well.

The Super Eagles star has scored against Barcelona twice in less than three months. And those goals have helped Atletico Madrid knock their Spanish rivals out of the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League. He will be looking to continue performing well for Los Rojiblancos.