African Best Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman has expressed disappointment over Atalanta’s coach, Gian Gasperini’s substituting him on Sunday.
Gasperini’s admitted that the substitute he made during his team’s 1-0 defeat to Lazio in a Serie A match at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo on Sunday was a mistake.
Journalists reported that two minutes into the second half, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru nearly scored, forcing Atalanta’s goalkeeper, Marco Carnesecchi, to make a challenging save from a long-range shot.
In the 50th minute, Lazio’s goalie Christos Mandas also made a crucial stop, blocking a close-range attempt from Mateo Retegui, who was set up by Ademola Lookman.
A defensive mistake by Atalanta allowed Gustav Isaksen to score in the 54th minute, following a header from Dele-Bashiru that set him up.
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Even though Atalanta was pushing hard for a tying goal, Gasperini surprised everyone by substituting both Lookman and Retegui in the 74th minute, bringing in Daniel Maldini and Lazar Samardzic instead.
Lookman was the first to be substituted, and he left the field visibly upset and frustrated with Gasperini’s choice.
The substitution was a mistake caused by confusion; it was supposed to be Ederson leaving the game, not Lookman. The manager confirmed that he meant to take off ‘Ede’ (Ederson), not ‘Ade’ (Lookman).
Manager Gian Piero Gasperini explained that he intended to replace Ederson instead of Lookman. “Yes, it was a mistake. I said Ede, but they understood Ade,”.
This match marked the third time this season that Lookman failed to score in three straight Serie A games, following a blank against Lazio.
