African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman was the star of the show as Atalanta cruised to a 5-0 victory over Empoli in the Italian Serie A on Sunday.
It was the Super Eagles star first outing since the controversy surrounding his penalty kick miss in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League elimination at the hands of Club Brugge, and he provided the perfect response with an inspiring display which earned him the player of the match award.
Lookman’s cross from a corner kick was flicked for striker Mateo Retegui to score Atalanta’s second before the Nigerian stole the show with the next two goals.
His first of the night was a brilliant effort in the closing stages of the first half after being out through on goal by Retegui, before he scored his second of the game ten minutes into the second half from another wonderful effort to put La Dea 4-0 up.
By scoring his 36th league goal in the game, Lookman overtook Simy Nwankwo to become Nigerian all-time second highest goal scorer in the Italian Serie A behind on-loan Napoli striker Victor Osimhen who tops the rankings with 65 goals.
Shina Oludare is a distinguished sports journalist and managing editor, renowned for his comprehensive coverage of African football. His dedication to elevating African sports on the global stage has earned him widespread respect, along with numerous accolades for his contributions. A graduate of the LaLiga Business School in Madrid, Oludare’s passion for sports and his influential work in African football journalism have established him as a leading figure in the industry.
