By Monsurah Olatunji
Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has expressed his satisfaction with Ademola Lookman and his teammates’ performance following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Como in Serie A, which ended a four-match winless streak for the club.
Despite a rare goalless outing from Lookman and fellow attacking player Charles De Ketelaere, Gasperini was pleased with the team’s overall effort.
Mateo Retegui was the hero for Atalanta, scoring both goals in their come-from-behind victory, though Lookman and De Ketelaere were involved in the attacking play, with both having goals disallowed.
Speaking after the match, Gasperini reflected on the team’s effort and acknowledged the difficulties in maintaining peak fitness levels throughout the season.
“It’s surely not easy to keep the same fitness level at all times,” Gasperini said, according to Football Italia.
“Lookman and De Ketelaere had scored, which means our attacking manoeuvres have started working again. We had the chance to kill off the game, but I am satisfied with the result.”
Gasperini’s praise for Lookman highlights the importance of team cohesion and attacking fluidity, even when individual players may not find the back of the net.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
