Ademola Lookman was awarded Man of the Match following Atalanta’s 3-2 loss to Real Madrid, expressing a sense of pride in the team’s ability to compete against top-tier opponents.
Despite facing the reigning Champions League champions, La Dea demonstrated resilience. After falling behind 3-1 in Bergamo due to goals from Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham, a penalty from Charles De Ketelaere and a goal from Lookman kept their hopes alive.
In a dramatic finish, Mateo Retegui had an opportunity to level the score but missed the target with his shot from Lookman’s assist.
This undoubtedly represented an enhancement compared to the match on August 14, in which Real Madrid secured a 2-0 victory in Warsaw during the UEFA Super Cup.
“Tough game, they took their chances when they had them. We knew what type of game it would be, we were unlucky, but we have our heads held high,” Super Eagles star Lookman told Sky Sport Italia and UEFA.com after he was named Man of the Match by UEFA.
“We are disappointed with the result because we felt we could have done more, but there is also pride. We showed that we can compete against a team full of champions. Of course, there were moments when we could have done better, but I believe that today we stood up to Real, and this is important for our growth.”
“We created chances, there are a lot of positives to take from the performance, but also a lot of things we can learn. It’s another great step for us today, we showed quality in moments and can learn a lot from today,” added Lookman.
The supporters maintained their enthusiastic cheers and applause for the players even after the final whistle, fully recognizing that this is a remarkable time for the club.
Atalanta is in a strong position to advance in the Champions League with 11 points and currently leads the Serie A standings.
“We mustn’t be too down, we’re in the Champions League, doing well in Serie A and we’ve got to keep going.”
