Lookman happy with first goal of the season

Lookman happy with first goal of the season

Super Eagles striker, Ademola Lookman has expressed happiness scoring his first goal of the season.

However, the former Atalanta star is not gloating over his personal achievement but that of his team, Atletico Madrid.

Lookman scored his first goal of the season as Atlético Madrid beat Sevilla 3-1 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on Saturday.

The Nigeria international produced a lively display after returning to his preferred left-wing position and helped Atlético claim their most dominant victory of the new La Liga campaign.

The former Atalanta man had failed to score in Atlético's opening two league games after being used as a centre-forward. Diego Simeone changed his position against Sevilla, allowing him to operate from the left side of the attack.

The decision paid off in the 26th minute when Lookman doubled Atlético's lead. He received a well-timed pass from Pablo Barrios during a quick Atlético attack on the left. Lookman drove into the penalty area, faced his defender and calmly placed his shot into the bottom-left corner. It was his first league goal of the season and came during a dominant first half from the visitors.

“I'm very happy with the three points, of course,” Lookman said after the encounter. “We played very well today. We were very sharp in the right moments. So, yeah, three points, on to the next game.”

Lookman had also appeared to score again shortly after half-time, but VAR ruled out the effort for offside. The 28-year-old finished his 66 minutes with one goal from his only shot. He completed 25 of 31 passes, giving him an 81% passing accuracy, and won one tackle.

Speaking about his goal, Lookman said he was pleased to get off the mark but placed the team's performance ahead of his personal achievement.

“Good to get off the mark, Of course. I'm happy to win and that's the most important thing. But also playing together as a team today in those moments were great. Yeah, I'm happy.

“Obviously, top players, interlinking together, playing with the same mindset, of course. Happy to play with the guys.”

The victory gave Atlético a strong result on matchday three and offered Lookman an important response after his difficult start in a central attacking role. Asked about the challenge of facing strong opponents, the Nigeria international said Atlético must keep preparing in the same way.

“Big games against big teams. Prepare the same way that we've been preparing together with outer targets, with our intentions. And yeah, keep going like this, improve.”

Lookman and Atletico Madrid will return to league action on Saturday, September 5, against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.