African stars are not only shining on the continent but all over the world too, and one individual rose as a giant among them with his performance on the weekend.
Ademola Lookman proved to be an unstoppable creative force, as well as the spark that led Atalanta to a 2-1 victory over Monza as the two sides clashed in a Serie A encounter on Sunday.
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The subsequent three points gained contributed to the Nerazzurri's hopes of qualifying for European football next season. It comes after the side knocked Liverpool out of the UEFA Europa League, beating the Reds 3-1 on aggregate.
Now, after their most recent domestic display, the club are in sixth position on the table, one point away from Roma who occupy a Europa League spot and five away from Bologna who are currently in the final UEFA Champions League place. Following Lookman's recent bright performance, he will be hopeful of contributing even more as his team look for a remarkable end to the season.
After starting the last four games on the bench, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini decided to include the Nigeria international in his starting line-up and was rewarded for his choice.
Despite having chances to open the scoring earlier on in the game, the Nerazzurri struck late in the second half to put themselves ahead in the encounter and Lookman was right at the heart of it. He swung in a corner that found Charles De Ketelaere who headed the ball past a helpless, motionless Michele Di Gregorio, who could only watch his net being penetrated by a powerful 44th-minute effort.
When play resumed after the half-time interval, the Nigerian continued where he left off, threatening the Monza goal. He surged down the left wing before finding his way into the box, cutting inside and getting a shot away — an effort that was saved by Di Gregorio. Later on in the half, the attacker bagged his second assist. He received the ball from teammate Ivorian El Bilal Toure and made his way into the Monza penalty area where laid the ball off for Toure who made no mistake in converting the opportunity.
It was his second assist of the game and his sixth league assist of the season.
Since joining the club from RB Leipzig in August 2022, he has amassed over 20 goals and 10 assists in the Serie A which puts him in an elite category of players to do so. The list includes stars such as Olivier Giroud, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paulo Dybala, and Rafael Leao.
Lookman will be keen on helping his side end the season in magnificent fashion as they compete for a place in the final of the Coppa Italia. Atalanta will face Florentina in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday. They will, however, be trying to claw their way back into the tie after suffering a 1-0 defeat in the first.
Next month, the side will butt heads with Ligue 1 outfit Marseille as the two teams compete for a spot in the final of the UEL.
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