Champions League: Lookman fires Atalanta past Shakhtar

In-form Atalanta man, Ademola Lookman, delivered another Man of the Match performance for the club on Wednesday, scoring his first UEFA Champions League goal and assisting another in the 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Germany.

It was the Italian club’s first away success in the Champions League in five matches.

After a goalless draw against Arsenal in their first game and with only one UCL victory since September 2021, Atalanta looked assertive on the neutral ground of Gelsenkirchen in search of the game’s opening goal.

That determination was rewarded in the 21st minute as Lookman’s delicious delivery into the danger zone was expertly converted from close range by the marauding Berat Djimsiti.

The Nigeria forward came close to doubling the advantage with a volley some moments later, but he was denied by the crossbar.

However, there was nothing to stop last season’s Europa League final hat-trick hero from finding the back of the net in the 44th minute, as Sead Kolašinac put it on a plate for the Atalanta attacker to sublimely side-foot the ball past Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk.

Atalanta wrapped up another victory of that nature after only three minutes of the second half.

Inexplicably, caught ball-watching at the back post, Pedrinho’s lack of intent allowed Davide Zappacosta to put it on the head of the fast-arriving Raoul Bellanova to celebrate his first goal for La Dea since arriving from Torino in the summer.

Atalanta’s dominance allowed them to take their foot off the gas for the remainder of the evening, as La Dea picked up their first three-point haul of the 2024/25 UCL in style.

Wednesday night’s game was Lookman’s third in the competition, and he now has a goal plus an assist to his name.

The in-form Nigeria winger’s only game in the prestigious competition before now was against FC Zenit Saint Petersburg during his stint with RB Leipzig in the 2019/20 season. He was an unused substitute in the German club’s remaining seven games that season.

He now has four goals and two assists for the club in all competitions this season, staking his claim for this year’s African Player of the Year award after an incredible 2023/24 season.