Diego Simeone has hailed the growing influence of Ademola Lookman following his standout display in Sunday’s dramatic Madrid derby, despite Atlético Madrid falling to a 3-2 defeat against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Nigerian forward opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finishing from close range after a well-worked team move to give Atlético an early advantage.
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In doing so, Lookman became the first Nigerian to score in the Madrid derby and the eighth Atlético player in the 21st century to score on his La Liga derby debut.
Reflecting on his performance, Simeone praised the attacker’s steady progress and contribution to the team.
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“He’s been improving, working very hard, offering us different options in attack, and that’s exactly what we need from him. We also need him to help us improve defensively, because he has what it takes. With a huge heart and a willingness to learn and try to improve, he’s brilliant, and hopefully he’ll continue to deliver important moments for us, just as he did today,” the Atlético manager said.
Lookman’s goal came after a fluid attacking move involving Johnny Cardoso and Matteo Ruggeri, before Giuliano Simeone’s clever backheel set him up for a composed finish. The strike marked his second goal in 12 league appearances in his debut La Liga season.
Despite Atlético’s bright start, Real Madrid responded strongly after the break. Vinícius Júnior converted a penalty in the 52nd minute before Federico Valverde fired the hosts ahead just three minutes later.
Atlético fought back to level the score in the 66th minute through a superb strike from Nahuel Molina, but Vinícius Júnior struck again in the 72nd minute to restore Real Madrid’s lead.
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The contest took another twist when Valverde was sent off following a VAR review, reducing Madrid to 10 men, but the hosts held on to secure all three points.
The victory saw Real Madrid move to 69 points, closing the gap on league leaders Barcelona to four points, while Atlético Madrid remain fourth with 57 points.
For Lookman, however, the night marked another important step in his development before he switches focus to international duties with two games on the card for the Super Eagles.
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