Lookman’s Atl\u00e9tico Madrid face Arsenal <\/a>in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash.<\/p>\nAfter a tight 1-1 draw in Spain last week, the tie is finely balanced with Atl\u00e9tico keen to reach the final for the first time since 2016 while Lookman could also pursue a landmark last reached by John Obi Mikel in 2012.<\/p>\n
Fourteen years ago, Mikel played every minute of UEFA Champions League Final as Chelsea stunned Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. That remains the last time a Nigerian featured in, and won, the final of Europe\u2019s biggest club competition. Before him, only Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu had reached that stage, both doing so with Ajax in the mid-1990s.<\/p>\nAtletico Madrid star Ademola Lookman. Copyright: xHarveyxMurphy\/IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNow, Lookman stands on the brink of joining that elite group. The Atl\u00e9tico winger has already become the first Nigerian in recent times to reach the semi-final, following in the footsteps of players like Samuel Chukwueze, who fell short at this stage with Villarreal in 2022.<\/p>\n
If Diego Simeone\u2019s side can find a way past Arsenal tonight, Lookman will break that long wait and carry Nigeria\u2019s flag back into the final.<\/p>\n
Soccer Lookman key for Atl\u00e9tico Madrid vs Arsenal<\/h2>\n While Arsenal are the slight favourites to advance past Atletico, there is real belief that Lookman can deliver for the Spaniards on such a big night.<\/p>\n
Since the Super Eagles star’s January move, he has been one of Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s most dangerous players, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists in just 18 appearances.<\/p>\n
In the first leg, Lookman was Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s standout performer. He registered four shots, created a key chance, and earned a 7.8 rating, even though he missed two clear opportunities to score.<\/p>\nNigeria and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid star Ademola Lookman. Copyright: xDennisxAgyemanx IMAGO <\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTactically, the game is set up as a classic contrast. Mikel Arteta will expect Arsenal to dominate possession at home, with Viktor Gy\u00f6keres, who scored from the penalty spot in the first leg, leading their attack. On the other side, Diego Simeone is likely to rely on a compact shape, possibly a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2, designed to frustrate Arsenal and strike on the counter.<\/p>\n
That is where Lookman becomes crucial. His pace, direct running, and defensive work rate make him the perfect outlet in transition. He will also have a demanding job tracking back against Bukayo Saka, making their duel one of the key battles on the night.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, Arsenal have been something of a \u2018bogey team’ for Lookman. In six previous appearances against the Gunners, spanning spells at Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Atalanta, and now Atl\u00e9tico, he has yet to score or assist. But his current form suggests he is better equipped than ever to change that narrative.<\/p>\n
The winner one Tuesday night will advance to the final of Champions League to be played in Budapest on May 30.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Soccer Ademola Lookman will step onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium tonight with a chance to write his name into Nigerian football history, Soccernet.ng reports. This is as Lookman’s Atl\u00e9tico Madrid face Arsenal in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash. After a tight 1-1 draw in Spain last week, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":903812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22524,33601,2005],"tags":[7531,101522],"class_list":{"0":"post-903811","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arsenal","8":"category-atletico","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-arsenal","11":"tag-atletico"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=903811"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903811\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=903811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=903811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=903811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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