Ademola Lookman has praised Atletico Madrid’s performance after they knocked out Barcelona to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
Los Rojiblancos suffered a 2-1 defeat in an entertaining clash, but they advanced on a 3-2 aggregate scoreline to reach the last four of the competition.
Lookman made Atletico’s most important contribution of the night, as it was his goal that put them ahead on the tie and sealed their progress.
As it happened
Lookman had a quiet game in the first leg when Atletico Madrid sealed a stunning 2-0 win over Barcelona last week.
The Nigerian forward was rested alongside several other players in their 2-1 defeat to Sevilla last weekend, with one eye on this clash.
Barcelona, however, stunned the crowd at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano with a superb opener inside four minutes through teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
Related: Atletico coach Simeone hails Lookman’s performance against Barcelona
Ferran Torres then put them level with their second of the game, leaving the tie balanced on aggregate on the night.
Then came the moment as Lookman fired home after he was found by Marcos Llorente following good play from Antoine Griezmann to reduce the deficit, while Atletico moved ahead once again on the night.
The game ended 2-1, as Atletico progressed and will now face either Arsenal or Portuguese side Sporting in the semifinal.
What Lookman said
Lookman, who enjoyed a very impressive game in front of the Atletico Madrid fans, was pleased with how his side approached the game.
“It was a rollercoaster, with us going 2-0 down, and then it was a game of two halves, really. We stuck in there, and we got through to the semis”, Lookman said.
“As the game is going on, you are playing and the momentum changes and moments happen and then the pause [for the injury] – it kind of switched us back into gear, and we were able to create a few chances, and we got the goal, and we tried to continue in that way in the second half.”
