Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has reacted after providing an assist in Atletico Madrid’s 1-1 draw against Stuttgart in the UEFA Champions League, with the Nigerian praising his teammates for their resilience after they going down to 10 men, Footynaija.com reports.
Lookman came off the bench at half-time at the MHP Arena on Tuesday and made an immediate impact, setting up Julian Alvarez for Atletico’s equaliser shortly after the restart.
Stuttgart had taken the lead in the 36th minute through Jamie Leweling, putting the Spanish visitors under pressure after a difficult opening half.
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However, Lookman helped change the game after his introduction, delivering the assist for Alvarez to restore parity just moments into the second half.
Speaking after the encounter, the Nigerian acknowledged Stuttgart’s strong start but was pleased with Atletico’s response after the break.
“I think they obviously started very well. A strong team playing away from home is never easy. But we wanted to try to change the tie in the second half, which we did with the goal,” Lookman told the club’s media.
Atletico Madrid went down to 10 men in the 64th minute after Morten Hjulmand received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Angelo Stiller. The Super Eagles star praised his teammates for their determination to hold on for a point after the Danish midfielder’s sending off.
“We kept pushing, but unfortunately, we went down to 10 men. We dug in, we showed our fight together, stuck together and we take a point away from home.”
The draw leaves Atletico with four points from their opening three Champions League matches, having managed to record one win, one draw and one defeat. They currently occupy 15th position on the league phase standings, leaving them seven places below the automatic knockout qualification places as things stand.
