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Tag: Atalanta

  • Finidi George praises Lookman for his heroics against Leverkusen

    Finidi George praises Lookman for his heroics against Leverkusen

    Super Eagles manager, Finidi George has sent congratulatory messages to rave of the moment and hat trick hero, Ademola Lookman for his heroics in the Europa League final  against Bayern Leverkusen on Wednesday night.

    According to the Super Eagles gaffer, Lookman did a yeoman’s job for Atalanta by writing his name on the history book.

    Lookman was the obvious star of the show in Atalanta’s historic Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen, netting a hat-trick to drive his side to victory on one of the biggest stages.

    Europa League runners -up, Bayer Leverkusen also  paraded two Super Eagles players,  Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella in the game.

    Finidi, who was delighted to see the trio feature in the thrilling contest showered encomium on Lookman for his outstanding performance.

    “Watching @Alookman_ @NathanTella_11 & @boniface_jrn in the Europa League final was a thing of joy and national pride. Well done guys, ” Finidi wrote on X.

    “And what a performance that was from Lookman .”

    The 26-year-old has now netted 15 goals and provided eight assists across 43 matches for Dea this season.

  • Europa League final: Sports Minister reacts over Lookman’s heroics

    Europa League final: Sports Minister reacts over Lookman’s heroics

    Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen’s Invincibles 3-0 in the Europa League final to end a 61-year title drought with a maiden continental trophy.

    Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman scored in the 12th, 26th and 75th minute to grab a hat-trick in the Dublin Arena as the Bergamo side handed Bundesliga champions Leverkusen a first season defeat in the 52nd match across all competitions.

    It gave Atalanta a first trophy since Coppa Italia success in 1963, and Italy a first title in Europe’s second tier event in 25 years, since Parma won in 1999, then the UEFA Cup. Success came a week after Atalanta lost the Italian Cup final against Juventus.

    Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen can still end the season on a high by beating Kaiserslautern in Saturday’s German Cup final in Berlin for a domestic double without defeat. They became the first-ever side to go unbeaten over a full Bundesliga season last weekend.

    Sports Minister showers encomiums on Europa champion, Ademola Lookman

    Meanwhile, the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh has showered encomiums on Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman for his extraordinary performance in the Europa League final. Lookman scored a historic hat-trick, leading Atalanta to their first European title on Thursday night in Dublin, Ireland.

    Lookman’s three goals secured a 3-0 victory for Atalanta against Bayer Leverkusen, ending their opponents’ 51-game undefeated streak and marking the first-ever hat-trick in a Europa League final. This victory also signifies Atalanta’s second major trophy, their first since winning the Coppa Italia 61 years ago.

    In his congratulatory message, Senator Enoh praised Lookman’s exceptional talent and dedication, which have brought immense pride to Nigeria.

    “Ademola Lookman has demonstrated remarkable skill and resilience, leading Atalanta to a historic victory. His performance in the Europa League final was nothing short of spectacular, and he has made Nigeria proud on the global stage. We celebrate his achievement and look forward to many more milestones in his career with club and country,” said Senator Enoh.

    The Sports Minister also extended his congratulations to Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella, who played pivotal roles in leading Bayer Leverkusen to the final. Their contributions were integral in securing the German Bundesliga title, with the German Cup still within reach.

    “Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella have also shown exceptional prowess and determination throughout the season. Their journey to the Europa League final and success in the Bundesliga is commendable. They serve as an inspiration to young athletes in Nigeria and around the world. I urge them to take pride in their performances and success this season,” Senator Enoh added.

    The Nigerian football community celebrates these achievements, reflecting the growing influence and talent of Nigerian players in international football.

    Lookman scored the opener in the 12th minute through superior sharpness, before hitting a brace with a fine curler in the 26th minute. He secured his hat trick in the 75th with a pile-driver hit of a goal.

  • Europa Final: Ademola Lookman makes history with first career hat trick

    Europa Final: Ademola Lookman makes history with first career hat trick

    Atalanta forward, Ademola Lookman, has made history by being the first African footballer to score more than two goals in the final of a major UEFA competition.

    Lookman also became the third Nigerian player to score in the final of a major UEFA competition, after Alex Iwobi (2019 Europa League) and Joe Aribo (2022 Europa League).

    Lookman already grabbed his brace in the opening 25 minutes of Wednesday’s Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.

    The Nigerian opened the scoring inside 12th minute of the encounter by latching on to a loose inside Bayern’s box 18 to slot in Le Dea first of the night.

    He wriggled through Bayern defender before sending a sublime curling effort into the bottom corner for his second of the night in the 26th minute of the the thrilling night.

    The former Fulham man then received a pass from his strike partner during a one on one situation, outran a Leverkusen defender before blasting a shot in the top right corner for Atalanta’s third goal of the night and ending Leverkusen’s dream of winning the treble unbeaten this season.

    It was Lookman’s first career hat trick and it came in the final of the Europa League against an unbeaten side that had played 51 games unbeaten

     

  • Europa League: Here’s how Atalanta rode to victory

    Europa League: Here’s how Atalanta rode to victory

    Atalanta were a force to reckon with from start to finish in the Europa cup. The Italian side were fantastic right from the group stage to the final against Bayern Leverkusen in Dublin.

    Here’s how Atalanta rode to Europa League victory in Dublin. Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman grabbed a hat-trick to end Leverkusen’s 49 unbeaten record.

    Group Stage: Winner of Group D

    Atalanta were drawn in group D alonside, Portuguese giants Sporting, Austrian minnows Sturm Graz, and Polish outfit Raków Częstochowa.

    In these six matches, La Dea scored 12 goals and conceded just 4 goals thus recording an +8 goal difference.

    They topped the group with 14 points by winning four matches and drawing two others. Only Sturm Graz and Sporting managed to draw them away from home.

    Round of 16

    It was advantageous for Altanta to not participate in the round of 32 because a change in format prevented them from participating. The winner of the group stage gets a direct entry into the round of 16.

    Gasperini’s team fought hard away from Sporting in the first leg to secure a hard-fought 1-1 draw, giving them the chance in the second leg to beat them 2-1 thanks to Lookman and Scamacca to secure a 2-1 win, securing their place in the quarter-final with a aggregate score of 3-2.

    Quarter-Finals- Atalanta stunned Liverpool 3-0

    While Liverpool were hot favourites, the Italian underdogs knew that they have all the tools to break their unbeaten record at Anfield. Atalanta demolished the Reds at home to secure a 3-0 win so that half of the tie was in their hands.

    As a result of Gasperini’s mastermind in Anfield, Klopp and Co were stunned by the outcome. In the second leg, Liverpool took control after Salah scored a penalty within 7 minutes. While Atalanta lost the match by 0-1 overall, they progressed 3-1 on aggregate by preventing their opponents from scoring further goals.

    Semi-Final:  Atalanta defeated Marseille 5-2 on Aggregate

    A tricky first leg in the Orange Vélodrome saw Atalanta open the scoring through Scamacca in the opening 11th minute but they could not resist the lead as Mbemba levelled the score at the break. Both sides did not take the risk in the second half, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

    Atalanta completely outclassed Marseille in the final leg to win the tie 4-1 on aggregate, marking their first appearance since 1963 that the italian side have reached a Europa League final.

    Final: Atalanta defeated Bayern Leverkusen 3-0 to emerge Champions

    Atalanta were faced with a difficult task of facing a Bayern Leverkusen side that have been unbeaten in 49 games in all competitions.

    But Le Dea didnt show any form intimidation in Dublin as they showed class from the blast of the whistle till the very end.

    Gasperini’s team fought hard from start to finish in what ended Leverkusen’s unbeaten run. Nigerian forward, Ademola Lookman scored in the 12th, 26th and 75th minute of the encounter to bag a hattrick and man of the match.

    Prior to the Europa final, Atalanta had previously lost the Coppa Italia final 2-1 to Juventus but have now made up for the loss in a much bigger final  against Leverkusen in Dublin.

    The result meant that Atalanta will feature in the UEFA Champions League next season.

  • BREAKING: Hat-trick hero, Ademola Lookman fires Atalanta to Europa League victory

    BREAKING: Hat-trick hero, Ademola Lookman fires Atalanta to Europa League victory

    Nigerian winger, Ademola Lookman produced three fantastic finishes against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday to hand Atalanta the 2023/2024 UEFA Europa League title.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Lookman’s first goal came in the 12th minute of the Europa League final before pulling the trigger again to fire past Leverkusen’s goalie, Matej Kovar in the 26th minute of the game.

    Lookman nutmegged Granit Xhaka before launching a stunning long-range effort from the edge of the box which went straight into the goal as he completed his brace within 26 minutes of the game.

    In a moment of magic, Lookman got his name on the scoreboard again in the 76th minute of play, completing his hat-trick to become the first player to score a hat-trick in a Europa League/UEFA Cup final since Jupp Heynckes for Gladbach in a 5-1 2nd leg away win over FC Twente in 1974/75.

    The three goals scored by the Nigerian winger handed Atalanta the Europa League title, dishing a heavy blow to the German side’s dream of winning the treble unbeaten this season.

    Born on 20 October 1997, Lookman is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Serie A club Atalanta. Born in England, he plays for the Nigeria national team.

    Lookman made his senior debut in 2015, playing as a forward for Charlton Athletic of the Championship.

    He signed for Everton in January 2017, where he played mainly as a winger. He has represented England from under-19 to under-21 levels. In 2022, Lookman made his debut for Nigeria.

    Born in Wandsworth, Greater London, to Nigerian parents, he attended St Thomas the Apostle College in Peckham where he achieved three A*s and five As at GCSE.

    Lookman joined Charlton Athletic’s academy in 2014 after signing from Waterloo, a youth football club based in the London Borough of Lambeth.

    His goalscoring record for Charlton’s U18 and U21 teams led to him making a rapid ascent through the Charlton academy ranks and he made his first-team debut for the Addicks on 3 November 2015.

    He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 December 2015, and then followed that up with both Charlton’s goals in a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers ten days later.

    Lookman signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Everton on 5 January 2017 for an undisclosed fee, reported as an initial £7.5m potentially rising to £11m with add-ons.

    He made his debut for the club ten days later in a 4–0 victory over Manchester City, replacing Ross Barkley in the 90th minute and scoring the team’s fourth goal.

    Lookman made his first European appearance for Everton in a 1–0 win over MFK Ružomberok in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg.

    Although manager Sam Allardyce stated that Lookman would not be leaving on loan in the January 2018 transfer window, the club eventually arranged a loan move to Championship club Derby County, where they hoped he would play regular first-team football.

    However, the player insisted on an alternative move, and instead joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig until the end of the 2017–18 season. In his first game with Leipzig, Lookman scored the winning goal in the away game against Borussia Mönchengladbach after coming on as a late substitute.

    On 25 July 2019, Lookman returned to RB Leipzig on a five-year contract. On 30 September 2020, Lookman joined Premier League side Fulham on a season-long loan. He scored his first league goal for Fulham against Sheffield United on 18 October.

    On 31 August 2021, Lookman joined Leicester City on a season-long loan. On 11 September 2021, he made his Leicester debut as a 73rd minute substitute during a 1–0 defeat to Manchester City. On 28 December 2021, Lookman scored the only goal in their 1–0 win over Liverpool.

    On 4 August 2022, Lookman joined Serie A club Atalanta on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15 million. He scored on his debut for the club, a 2–0 Serie A win over Sampdoria on 13 August.

    In January 2023, he scored braces in three consecutive matches: a 8–2 Serie A win over Salernitana, a 5–2 Coppa Italia win over Spezia and a 3–3 Serie A draw to Juventus.

  • Europa Final: Unbeaten Leverkusen to clash with Atalanta in Dublin today

    Europa Final: Unbeaten Leverkusen to clash with Atalanta in Dublin today

    German champions, Bayern Leverkusen  could equal club 119- year record of winning two trophies if they triumph against Italian side, Atalanta in the Europa League final today in Dublin.

    Leverkusen had won only two major trophies in their 119-year history before nicking the German Bundesliga title  this season unbeaten all season.

    The newly-crowned Bundesliga champions have the chance to claim three titles this season and  beat the club’s all time record if they also win the German Cup this weekend.

    Leverkusen broke Bayern Munich’s 11-year monopoly of the title in Germany this term as Xabi Alonso’s side became the first team in the Bundesliga’s 61-year history to complete the season unbeaten. They have also reached the German Cup final.

    Their undefeated run in all competitions this term has earned them the nickname Bayer ‘Neverlusen’ and Serie A side Atalanta will have their work cut out trying to beat a team that have not lost in a European record 51 matches since August.

    Several sides have come close to handing Leverkusen their first defeat of the season but, with 17 goals scored in or after the 90th minute, they do not give up until the final whistle.

    “We have been competitive in every game, whether we were playing well or poorly. We played well for the majority of the games, but we didn’t give up in the ones where we didn’t play well,” Alonso said in an interview with Uefa.

    “That says a lot about the commitment of this team when it comes to preparing for every game. We didn’t take any game for granted.”

    Much like Alonso, coach Gian Piero Gasperini has changed Atalanta’s fortunes, making the Bergamo-based outfit an ever-present club in European competition since his arrival in 2016.

    Atalanta play an enjoyable attacking style with high intensity and managers like Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri have likened facing Gasperini’s teams to “going to the dentist”.

    “Even if you come out unscathed, you still feel the pain,” Sarri once said.

    Atalanta

    Like Leverkusen, Atalanta will also play in the Champions League next season after clinching a top-five finish but they will hope to end the season with their first major trophy in 61 years after losing to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.

    Just like Alonso, the match in Dublin will also be Gasperini’s first European final.

    “It’s a great achievement and source of satisfaction, achieved with a really good season from this whole team,” the 66-year-old Italian said.

    “Is it the highest point of my career? Yes, in terms of accomplishment and prestige, absolutely. In terms of gratification, fortunately I’ve had quite a few, although perhaps not on the same level.”

    While Alonso has a full squad at his disposal, Atalanta will be missing key starters such as midfielder Marten de Roon and defender Sead Kolasinac while right back Emil Holm is a doubt.

    Leverkusen will aim to repeat their 1988 Uefa Cup success and victory could set them up for a rare treble as they face second-tier side Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final, with Alonso saying such an achievement would be ‘historic’.

    “It would be something written in golden letters, not only in the history of our club but probably all European football,” he added. “I hope we can.”

  • Europa: Liverpool crash out despite beating Atalanta 1-0, Leverkusen’s unbeaten run intact after playing 1-1 with West Ham

    Europa: Liverpool crash out despite beating Atalanta 1-0, Leverkusen’s unbeaten run intact after playing 1-1 with West Ham

    The hopes of Liverpool  winning a continental title this season yesterday came to an end as the Reds beat Atalanta 1-0 but lost 3-1 on aggregate to exit the Europa League.

    Liverpool surprisingly lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the first leg at Anfield  and they were given hope as Mohamed Salah slammed home an early penalty inside the first ten minutes to make it 1-0 on the night.

    Luis Diaz then saw an effort smothered and Salah missed a one-on-one as Jurgen Klopp’s men ended the first 45 minutes strongly.

    However, in the second half, Liverpool offered very little, and it was the hosts who had the better chances.

    As the game progressed Klopp threw Diogo Jota, Drawin Nunez and Harvey Elliott on, but the belief drained with each passing minute as the Liverpool manager’s European reign at Anfield came to an end in an unflattering manner.

    Meanwhile, another English side, West Ham got knocked out of the Europa League as Jeremie Frimpong’s late leveller denied them the consolation of becoming the first team to beat new German champions Bayer Leverkusen this season.

    Michaiil Antonio had given the host the lead inside 13th minute with a powerful header at London Stadium gave David Moyes’ side the perfect start in their attempts to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg.

    But despite dominating the opening period they were unable to prize open the Leverkusen defence a second time.

    Jarrod Bowen came closest when his far-post effort was saved by Matej Kovar but Xabi Alonso’s side improved significantly after the break.

    Frimpong blazed over after running clear of the defence, but made amends in the 89th minute with a shot that took a significant deflection off Aaron Cresswell and flew past Lukasz Fabianski.

    The goal preserved Leverkusen’s incredible unbeaten record since a 3-0 reverse at Bochum on 27 May last year, 328 days ago, and booked a last-four meeting with Brighton’s conquerors Roma, who knocked out AC Milan.

    With the exit of Liverpool and West Ham only Aston Villa remain on the continent as they qualified over Lille of France on Thursday.

  • EPL: Super Eagles’ Ademola Lookman on Crystal Palace radar

    EPL: Super Eagles’ Ademola Lookman on Crystal Palace radar

    Super Eagles Ademola Lookman could be on his way to the English Premier League as Crystal Palace are eyeing the Nigerian forward.

    According to reports coming out from the club, Palace are keen on adding more quality to their side next season.

    Already the London side parade two Nigerian by descent players in the persons of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise,

    Both players are still eligible to play for Nigeria as they have only featured for England at the junior levels.

    Lookman is seen as a player who could add more quality to the team.

    The Nigeria international was Atalanta’s top scorer last season with 13 goals and six assists.

    The 26-year-old has scored eight goals and provided four assists in 25 league appearances this season.

    He is currently valued at €30 million by Transfermarkt.

  • Serie A: Osimhen returns to action, Lookmon scores in Atalanta 2-1 loss to Napoli

    Serie A: Osimhen returns to action, Lookmon scores in Atalanta 2-1 loss to Napoli

    Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen returned to action for Serie A side Napoli after several weeks of being injured.

    The forward marked his return by grabbing an assist in Napoli’s 2-1 victory against  Lookmon’s, Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium.

    Osimhen missed Napoli’s previous six games across all competitions due to hamstring injury.

    He came off the bench to inspire Napoli to a hard-earned win in Walter Mazzarri’s first game in charge.

    Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened scoring for the visitors a minute after the break.

    Ademola Lookman restored parity for Atalanta in the 53rd minute.

    Osimhen replaced Giacomo Raspadori on 64 minutes.

    The Nigerian set up Elf Elmas for the winning goal 11 minutes from time.

  • Two Nigerian forwards top Italian Serie A scorers chart

    Two Nigerian forwards top Italian Serie A scorers chart

    Victor Osimhen has taken his goals haul to 13 in the Italian Serie A after scoring the winning goal in Napoli’s 2-0 away win over Salernitana on Saturday.

    Andre-Frank Anguissa combined with Mario Rui to pull back from the by-line, as Di Lorenzo took a touch and smashed the finish off the underside of the crossbar on the stroke of 45th minute to end the first half in favour of Napoli.

    Upon restart of the second half, the Nigerian striker tapped in a rebound shot after Eljif Elmas right-foot strike from outside the box bounced off the far post, into his path to make it a fourth goalscoring league match in five, and put himself four goals clear of his nearest chasers in the league’s scoring charts.

    Another Nigerian attacker, Ademola Lookman has been painting the Italian Serie A  with goals after closing in on his closest rival Osimhen.

    Lookman reduced the tally between himself and Osimhen to two after grabbing his 11 Serie A goal against Juventus.

    The 25-year-old joined La Dea for €9m in August and has proved to be worth every penny, having scored 13 goals in 19 appearances, including two against Juventus on Saturday evening.

    Already, Juventus are already looking to sign the deadly attacker who has been dubbed defender’s nightmare in the Scudetto.

    Both players have been selected for the Serie A player of the month award category for January.