Ademola Lookman says the hard work was done before he got on. The Nigerian came off the bench on Tuesday night and scored the goal that sealed Atletico Madrid’s 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester United at the Metropolitano.
Speaking to CBS Sports Golazo afterwards, he kept the focus on the team.
“We know how big of a win that is for us,” he said.
Atletico started fast. Pablo Barrios scored inside the first minute, finishing a cross from Alex Baena. After that, the hosts controlled most of the game.
Lookman replaced Julian Alvarez in the 71st minute. Three minutes later, United were down to ten men. Leny Yoro was sent off after a VAR check showed he had stopped Jonathan David from a clear goal-scoring chance.
Then came the second goal. David’s shot was saved by Senne Lammens, and Lookman was first to the rebound. He finished from close range in the 79th minute, just eight minutes after coming on.
Lookman praised his teammates for the groundwork. He said the players had put in a big performance before he came on, so it was easy to slot in.
He also explained his role off the bench. He said he tried to help defensively and in attack whenever he had the energy.
Looking ahead, he added that the win gives the team confidence, and that they have to be ready game after game.
On Instagram, he was shorter.
“Different feeling,” he wrote about Champions League nights at home.
It was their first points of this Champions League campaign. They had lost their opening game 2-1 to Liverpool. As a result, the win was close to a must-have.
Diego Simeone had publicly backed him to find his scoring touch before the match. The goal also took him to nine Champions League goals, level with Obafemi Martins among Nigerian scorers.
Lookman did not talk about his own record or the drought. He talked about the team, which is exactly what Atletico fans want to hear.
