Nigeria Players Abroad
Atalanta’s blunder: Ademola Lookman subbed off by mistake costs them vs Lazio
By Dayo Awoniyi
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini revealed that his team’s narrow defeat to Lazio on Sunday was partly due to a costly error involving Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman, who was substituted by mistake.
According to Gasperini, the mistake stemmed from a miscommunication between him and the coaching staff, leading to Lookman being replaced in the 62nd minute instead of the intended substitution of Brazilian midfielder Mateo Retegui.
The mix-up disrupted the team’s rhythm and contributed to their inability to recover from a late goal that handed Lazio the 1-0 victory.
The decision to pull Lookman, who had been one of Atalanta’s more dangerous players, left the team at a disadvantage and seemingly unsettled their attacking flow.
Lazio capitalized on the confusion, with Mattia Zaccagni scoring the decisive goal just minutes later.
Despite the frustration of the loss, Lookman remained optimistic about Atalanta’s prospects in the remaining seven games of the season.
He emphasized the need for the team to quickly regroup and stay focused on their objective of securing a European spot for next season.
Gasperini admitted his role in the blunder, commenting after the match, “Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding between ‘Ede’ (Ederson) and ‘Ade’ (Lookman), and we paid a high price for it.”
Atalanta will now turn their attention to their upcoming fixtures as they aim to bounce back from the setback and salvage their season.
