Sport
Lookman Claims Atalanta Have Their Heads Held High Despite Real Madrid Loss
Ademola Lookman has praised his Atalanta side for their strong showing against Real Madrid, despite suffering a narrow 3-2 loss in their UEFA Champions League clash at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday night.
The match marked the first defeat for the reigning UEFA Europa League champions in the Champions League this season, but Atalanta’s performance sent a clear message: they are capable of competing with Europe’s best.
Lookman, who scored Atalanta’s second goal in the intense encounter, was named Man of the Match for his standout contribution.
His goal helped keep the pressure on the Spanish giants, but despite their efforts, Atalanta could not find an equalizer after a dramatic late goal from Real Madrid sealed the victory.
Reflecting on the match, Lookman shared his thoughts with UEFA.com, emphasizing the team’s pride in their performance, despite the result.
“It was a tough game, and Real Madrid took their chances when they had them,” Lookman said.
“We knew going into the match that it would be a hard-fought contest, and although we were unlucky not to come away with a win, we have our heads held high.”
Although disappointed with the final scoreline, the Nigerian forward expressed the belief that Atalanta had shown enough to demonstrate their ability to compete at the highest level.
“We are disappointed with the result because we felt we could have done more,” Lookman continued, “but there’s also a lot of pride in how we played.
We showed that we can go toe-to-toe with the best.”
Chelsea player Enzo Fernández is in discussions to join Manchester City. This information was revealed by Fabrizio Romano, who shared that the two clubs are discussing a potential deal.
He wrote: “Enzo Fernández has a verbal agreement with Manchester City on personal terms.
“Deal depends on club-to-club decision, as #MCFC have not sent an official bid yet, but contacts will take place soon; decision on price is up to Chelsea.
“Enzo could be out again this weekend.”
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca mentions his captains for the team. He mentions Rúben Dias and Erling Haaland.
He shared “We have experienced players. For sure, we have leaders. Now we need to wait four or five more days until the transfer window closes to see if we can add one or two more captains to Ruben [Dias] and Erling , who at the moment are the two captains.”
Maresca confirmed the pair as part of his leadership group ahead of the 2026/27 season, with two more captains expected to be selected after the transfer window closes.
Chelsea manager speaks on the team and shares thoughts on considering a change in goalkeepers, giving another goalkeeper, Mike Penders, a chance.
“Penders is part of the squad, so he has an opportunity. We will decide and then I am giving the team tomorrow to the players, so I prefer to respect that they know first.”
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