Ademola Lookman is disappointed with Atalanta’s narrow 3-2 loss to Real Madrid at Gewiss Stadium in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, Afrosport reports.
The game was tipped to be a thrilling affair and lived up to the billing with Los Blancos taking a 3-1 lead courtesy of Kylian Mbappe, the returning Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham before Lookman scored a consolation goal in the 65th minute.
The result meant Atalanta suffered their first loss in this season’s Champions League as well as back to back defeats against Madrid after losing to them 3-0 in the UEFA Super Cup.
Lookman, who won the man of the match award, however believes his team has what it takes to challenge Europe’s biggest sides.
“Tough game, they took their chances when they had them. We knew what type of game it would be, we were unlucky, but we have our heads held high,” he said.
“We are disappointed with the result because we felt we could have done more, but there is also pride. We showed that we can compete against a team full of champions.
“Of course, there were moments when we could have done better, but I believe that today we stood up to Real, and this is important for our growth.
“We created chances, there are a lot of positives to take from the performance, but also a lot of things we can learn. It’s another great step for us today, we showed quality in moments and can learn a lot from today.”
POTM ✨#AtalantaRealMadrid #UCL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫🔵 pic.twitter.com/ytKYVhs4T8
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) December 10, 2024
Lookman will turn his attention to Atalanta’s Serie A trip to Cagliari on Saturday afternoon.
