Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh singled out Ademola Lookman for praise after the Nigerian forward’s role in helping Atletico Madrid knock Barcelona out of the UEFA Champions League to reach the semi-finals, Footynaija.com reports.
Atletico Madrid entered the encounter with a two-goal cushion after last week’s 2-0 win at the Spotify Camp Nou, but found themselves in hot water early on as Barcelona wasted little time in canceling out the advantage courtesy of strikes from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres in the 4th and 24th minutes respectively.
However, just six minutes after Barca’s second, Lookman was on hand to finish off a swift counter-attack for Diego Simeone’s men, with that goal restoring their overall lead on aggregate and ultimately proving to be the decisive strike of the game.
Taking to his personal X (formerly Twitter) account after the match, Oliseh waxed lyrical in praise of Lookman’s performance on the night and labelled the former Atalanta man a difference maker for Atletico Madrid.
“Ademola Lookman has just qualified for the Champions League semi-finals with Atlético Madrid,” the former Super Eagles coach wrote. “Despite a 2-1 loss to Barcelona.
“Talk about being an absolute influential player! I am extremely happy for the Lookman. His goal today made the difference. He is also showing so much maturity that is quite remarkable”
Lookman and Atletico Madrid will now await the confirmation of their opponents in the semi-final ahead of Wednesday’s second leg clash between Arsenal and Sporting CP, with the Gunners holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg.
Meanwhile, Diego Simeone will also be looking to address his side’s overall form, having won just one of their last six fixtures across all competitions. Their first opportunity to return to winning ways comes in the shape of a La Liga match against Real Sociedad.
