Lookman: ‘We Stuck In and Dug In’ as Atlético Madrid Reach Semis

Ademola Lookman hailed Atlético Madrid’s resilience after his decisive strike secured a Champions League semi-final spot at the expense of Barcelona.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the 2-1 defeat on the night but 3-2 aggregate victory, the Nigerian forward admitted the contest was a battle of endurance.

‘Going 2-0 down was tough. A game of two halves, really, we stuck in there, we dug in. We didn’t get the win tonight but we’re through to the semi-finals,” Lookman said.

Barcelona had threatened a dramatic comeback, with Lamine Yamal scoring inside four minutes and Ferran Torres adding a brilliant finish to level the tie. But Lookman restored Atlético’s advantage in the 31st minute, converting Marcos Llorente’s low cross to make it 3-2 overall.

The second half saw Atlético settle into a defensive block, frustrating Barcelona’s attempts to break through. Eric García’s dismissal in the 80th minute further dented the visitors’ hopes, and Ronald Araújo’s stoppage-time header went over as Diego Simeone’s side held firm.

Lookman’s strike carried historic significance. He has now scored eight goals in 21 Champions League appearances, moving into third place on Nigeria’s all-time scorers list in the competition, behind Victor Osimhen (16) and Obafemi Martins (9), surpassing Victor Ikpeba’s tally of seven.

Atlético’s victory ended a run of three consecutive quarter-final defeats since 2017 and maintained their perfect record of winning all 23 UEFA two-legged ties in which they claimed the first leg away.

For Barcelona, the defeat continued a grim trend: they have now lost all seven of their two-legged ties after being beaten at home in the first leg.