Simeone Says Ademola Lookman Has ‘More In His Tank’ After UCL Heroics

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Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone has challenged Ademola Lookman to raise his level even further after the winger fired the club past Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Ademola Lookman scored in the 31st minute to secure a 3-2 aggregate win and keep Atletico’s European dream alive. The goal took his tally in the competition to two, alongside two assists since his January move from Atalanta.

Despite the decisive contribution, Simeone made it clear he expects more from the Nigeria international.

”Well, he’s (Lookman) still evolving. He’s improving a lot defensively, which makes him even more important. And, of course, he’s carrying more weight in the team,” Simeone said after the Champions League game.

He’s brilliant offensively; he’s very courageous; he’s very good on the one-on-one. Since I’ve been in the club, we never had players like that, with those features. And well, we are betting everything on playing almost with four forwards.

“Giuliano is a winger; he’s almost a forward. And when he attacks, he’s an extra forward. And when we attack, we play from the heart.

“The amount of running we did was unbelievable and the offensive importance of them just giving the pace to the team when he was on the ball. We need more from him; he has more in his tank. We’ve seen it in Nigeria and, well, he’s always played great.”

Ademola Lookman’s strike at the Metropolitano Stadium also placed him in the history books as the fourth Nigerian to score in a Champions League quarter-final.

Obafemi Martins was the first, netting for Inter Milan against Villarreal in 2006. Samuel Chukwueze followed with his goal for Villarreal against Bayern Munich in 2022, before Victor Osimhen scored for Napoli against AC Milan in 2023.