Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has lambasted Ademola Lookman, calling him one of the worst penalty takers he’s ever seen. The attacker missed a penalty kick during the Serie A club’s Champions League match against Club Brugge on Tuesday night, as his team was eliminated from the European competition.
After losing the first leg of their playoff tie 2-1, Atalanta headed into the game needing a strong performance to turn things around and advance to the Champions League knockout stages. However, things started horribly, with Gasperini’s men behind 3-0 at halftime. They faced an uphill job coming out of the break, but looked back swiftly through Lookman to give themselves some hope.
In the 61st minute, VAR awarded the club a penalty, and Lookman got the opportunity to score his second goal of the game, bringing his team closer to a comeback. Unfortunately for Lookman and Atalanta, the outcome was not as expected.
Lookman’s Penalty. Miss Gasperini was outraged.
Having already scored once, Lookman, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, saw his opportunity from the penalty spot after Atalanta was awarded a penalty against Brugge. He walked up to take the spot kick ahead of Charles De Ketelaere, but instead fired the ball straight down the middle of the goal, which was easily saved by Simon Mignolet in the Belgian net.
Poor strike by Lookman
How can you miss this penalty 🥲 pic.twitter.com/TknbPGe34c— Mr Klemzy (@bi_smart_wai) February 18, 2025
His management was unhappy about the occurrence. He was not just dissatisfied with the penalty attempt, but also with Lookman’s decision to take it when he had players like Mateo Retegui on the pitch. Gasperino went on to describe the former Everton player as one of the ‘worst penalty takers’ he has ever seen. Speaking about his player on talkSPORT, the 67-year-old did not hold back, saying:
“Lookman was not supposed to take the penalty.” He is one of the worst penalty takers I have ever seen. Even in training, he has a very low percentage and kicks them really hard.
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring the goal. He took the ball even though [Mateo] Retegui and [Charles] De Ketele were available. I did not like what Lookman did.”
🚨🇳🇬 Gasperini: “Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen”.
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal, he took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did”. pic.twitter.com/ieivtPMaL5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 18, 2025
Despite being called one of Gasperini’s worst penalty shooters, Lookman’s mistake against Brugge was only the second of his career. The 27-year-old previously failed to convert a penalty in a Premier League encounter between Fulham and West Ham United. Unfortunately, that miss ranks as one of the worst penalty misses of all time.
