By Dayo Awoniyi
Ademola Lookman responded to his manager’s criticism in the best possible way, scoring a brilliant brace to help Atalanta thrash Empoli 5-0 in a Serie A encounter on Sunday.
The Super Eagles winger’s performance was key in reducing the gap between Atalanta and Serie A leaders Inter Milan to just three points.
After being criticized by manager Gian Piero Gasperini following Atalanta’s Champions League exit, Lookman made sure to prove his doubters wrong with a stellar display.
The Italian game began with Atalanta applying pressure, and their efforts paid off in the 28th minute when Emmanuel Quartsin Gyasi’s own goal put them ahead.
Mateo Retegui doubled the lead before Lookman struck his first goal just before halftime.
The second half saw continued dominance from Atalanta, with Lookman scoring his second goal in the 55th minute.
Davide Zappacosta completed the rout, rounding off the 5-0 victory for the home side.
The win marked Atalanta’s first victory since February 8th and moved them up to 54 points from 26 matches, just three points behind Inter Milan. With this commanding result, Atalanta has firmly re-entered the title race.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
