Lookman says he has turned the ‘pain’ of UCL ouster and controversy generated into ‘power’ with Empoli brace
Ademola Lookman scored a brace, his sixth in the Serie A, to not only help Atalanta return to winning ways after two games without victory, but also lify himself psychologically following the unsavoury incident that trailed his club’s UEFA Champions League exit.
The Nigerian netted the brace in Atalanta’s 5-0 demolition of Empoli and hinted it was his way of turning ‘pain into power’ after he was blasted publicly by Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini for a penalty miss that contributed to his side’s elimination from the Champions League.
With Club Brugge leading 3-1 during Tuesday’s play-off, the 27 year old missed a crucial chance to reduce Atalanta’s deficit by failing to convert from the spot.
The Nigerian had earlier scored for the club to make it 3-1 after he was subbed on.
In his post-match interview, Gasperini labelled Lookman one of the ‘worst penalty takers’ he had ever seen.
Lookman responded by criticizing his coach and label his comments as disrespectful.
But after the game against Empoli, Lookman ho was voted man of the match, took to social media to express satisfaction with his performance, posting pictures accompanied by a brief caption suggesting that he had turned the ‘pain’ of the previous week ‘into power.’
