Atlanta forward and Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman has revealed why his teamβs recent UEFA Champions League victory over Shakhtar is crucial for their European ambitions this season.
Lookman shines with first UCL goal and assist
Lookman, who played an important role in the match, expressed his delight over the win and emphasised how the result will strengthen Atalanta’s position in Europe,Β Footballrover reports.
The Super Eagles forward delivered a standout performance on Wednesday night, helping Atalanta secure a commanding 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League.
The Nigerian forward reached two key benchmarks in the match, scoring his first-ever goal in the prestigious competition and providing a crucial assist, which contributed to Atalanta’s first win of the campaign.
Lookman was also named Man of the Match for the first time in the tournament.
Speaking on his MOTM award, Ademola emphasised that while individual awards are nice, his success is a product of the team’s collective effort.
π΄π½π· π€©β½β¨#ShakhtarAtalanta #UCL #GoAtalantaGo β«π΅ pic.twitter.com/A64SQSrgQr
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) October 2, 2024
“It’s nice to receive these awards; I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the team, and the team had a very good performance today,” he said.
He acknowledges the importance of the team’s strong performance, expressing happiness over their victory, especially in the area of strengthening their position in European competitions.
“I’m very happy with the victory. I think tonight’s victory is very important to us in making our steps stronger in Europe, so we’re happy,” Lookman said.
Atalanta’s European ambitions strengthened by key victory
He went on to reflect on the team’s response after a previous tough match against Premier League side Arsenal.
The Nigerian international noted that bouncing back to winning way with a solid performance, scoring goals, and securing a win was critical to maintaining momentum as they face a busy schedule ahead.
“After our performance against Arsenal at home, we put on a good display, and to build on that tonight, score the goals, and win was very important to us going into the next busy schedule that we have.”
Lookman also stressed that every match counts and that his team aims to build on each performance, focussing on consistency and looking forward to each game.
Una notte da sogno per lβ@Atalanta_BC β¨#ShaktarAtalanta #UCL pic.twitter.com/GhcT33nthU
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) October 2, 2024
He concluded by explaining how essential it is to maintain this winning momentum throughout the season.
“Every performance we try to build on, today was a good performance, so we’ll build on that and look forward to the next game. Every game is important, so we look forward to each game. It’s great to play a lot of games.”
The 26-year-old now boasts five goal contributions across all competitions this season, with three goals and two assists in just six matches.
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