New Delhi: Gian Piero Gasperini has slammed Ademola Lookman, calling him one of the worst penalty takers he has ever witnessed. During Tuesday night’s Champions League match between the Serie A side Atalanta and Club Brugge, the forward had a chance to score from the penalty spot but missed as his team was eliminated from the European championship. Atalanta needed a strong showing going into the match to win the Champions League knockout rounds after losing the first leg of their playoff match 2-1.
However, things got off to a terrible start, and before halftime, Gasperini’s team was behind 3-0. Coming out of the interval, they had an uphill battle ahead of them, but they promptly grabbed one back via Lookman to give themselves some hope. They received another lifeline in the 61st minute when the club was given a penalty by VAR, giving Lookman the opportunity to score his second goal of the game and give his team a chance to rally. Regretfully, Lookman and Atalanta did not experience that outcome.
Gasperini did NOT hold back on Ademola Lookman 😳 pic.twitter.com/NLEsIYNWn5
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 19, 2025
A look at Lookman’s penalty miss
Poor strike by Lookman
How can you miss this penalty 🥲 pic.twitter.com/TknbPGe34c— Mr Klemzy (@bi_smart_wai) February 18, 2025
After Atalanta was given a penalty against Brugge, Lookman, who has already scored once and has recently been linked to a move to Manchester United, fancied his chances from the penalty spot. Prior to players like Charles De Ketelaere, he stepped up to take the penalty kick, but he ended up shooting the ball right down the middle of the goal, which Simon Mignolet of the Belgian team comfortably saved.
His management was incensed at the event. In addition to being dissatisfied with the penalty attempt, he was also upset that Lookman had even taken the penalty kick when Mateo Retegui and other players were on the field. The former Everton player was classified by Gasperino as one of the “worst penalty takers” he had ever witnessed. When discussing his player on talkSPORT, the 67-year-old didn’t mince words and stated:
After the match, Gasperini said, “Lookman wasn’t supposed to take the penalty. He’s one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen. Even in training he has a very low percentage, he kicks them really badly.
Gasperini continued, “He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal. He took the ball despite [Mateo] Retegui and [Charles] De Keteleare available to take it. I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
The incident against Brugge was only the second time in Lookman’s career that he missed from the penalty spot, despite being referred to as one of the worst penalty takers Gasperini has ever seen. The 27-year-old only missed a penalty kick once, and it was in a Premier League game between Fulham and West Ham United. Regretfully, that miss is on par with some of the worst penalty misses ever.
Ademola Lookman’s penalty miss against Club Brugge was heavily criticised by his own manager Gian Piero-Gasperini, as he was clearly not happy with that miss and had some interesting comments to make after the match. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
