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.”
Former footballer Thierry Henry has shared his thoughts on Arsenal’s match following their loss to Atlético Madrid on October 13.
Speaking during a brief interview on CBS Sports, Henry criticised the practice of players or coaches expressing certain opinions through the media instead of addressing issues directly within the dressing room.
“I’m not a coach anymore, but I always say, whoever speaks like that, out. Keep that in the dressing room, it’s as simple as that,” Henry said on CBS Sports.
“That is the only way it can work. You have to say those things to a person’s face… going through the press, I am not really a fan of that.”
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has shared his thoughts on the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, revealing that he hopes the winner will come from his team.
The manager spoke about how hard his players have worked and expressed his belief that they deserve the recognition.
“What I hope is that we win this trophy. We have players who deserve it.”
“Last year, we were the best team. We showed that it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who deserved it.”
French football pundit Walid Acherchour has named Lamine Yamal as his pick to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, sparking reactions among football fans.
Acherchour’s choice came as a surprise to some fans, who expected him to support fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé instead.
Speaking about his prediction, Acherchour expressed confidence in Yamal’s chances of winning the prestigious individual award.
“For me, Lamine Yamal, he is going to get it [2026 Ballon d’Or]. For me, there’s no doubt anymore,” Acherchour said, as quoted by Actu Foot. That start to the season shows that in fact, he was injured during the World Cup. He was the best player in La Liga, and he won the World Cup.
“Even if, for me, in fact, he doesn’t have the Ballon d’Or unanimously because his World Cup was average, even being average, he won it with Spain. He won La Liga with Barça.”
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