Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has openly criticized Ademola Lookman following his missed penalty in their Champions League play-off against Club Brugge on Tuesday night.
Trailing 3-1 and 5-2 on aggregate, Atalanta had a chance to pull one back when Juan Cuadrado was fouled in the box.
Lookman, coming off the bench, stepped up to take the spot-kick but saw his tame effort stopped by Simon Mignolet, crushing Atalanta’s slim hopes of a comeback.
Speaking after the match, Gasperini didn’t hold back, directly calling out the Nigerian forward.
“Lookman should not have taken that penalty. He is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve seen,” Gasperini told Football Italia. “His record in training is terrible, and he rarely converts. Retegui and De Ketelaere were available, but Lookman, caught up in the moment, grabbed the ball after scoring earlier. That’s something I did not appreciate.”
The coach also criticized captain Rafael Toloi, who was sent off in the final moments for aggressively pursuing Maxim de Cuyper. Officials had to step in to prevent a physical altercation.
“That was unacceptable. We must never lose our composure,” Gasperini added. “Atalanta must exit the Champions League with dignity, having faced top teams like Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Barcelona.”
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