By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman hailed Atalanta’s dominant 3–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in Matchday Five of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night at the Deutsche Bank Park.
Lookman played a decisive role in the win, scoring Atalanta’s opener in the 60th minute after connecting with a precise cross from Charles De Ketelaere, before setting up Ederson for the second goal shortly after.
The victory marked the club’s first under new coach Raffaele Palladino, who replaced Ivan Juric and made his debut the previous weekend in a 3–1 loss to Napoli.
Atalanta’s performance lifted them to 10th place in the Serie A standings.
“It’s a big performance for the team. It’s a good victory away from home,” Lookman told UEFA’s official website.
“In the first half we had a few chances, and coming out in the second half, we knew we had to create chances again.”
The result not only boosted Atalanta’s Champions League hopes but also signaled growing momentum under their new coach.
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.
