Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman was in impressive form as he netted two goals in Atalanta’s Serie A clash against AC Milan on Saturday.
The 26-year-old headed into the game having netted just once in his last nine matches across all competitions but showed great intent right from kickoff as he set up Charles De Ketelaere for Atalanta’s first effort of the game.
That set the tone for the remainder of the first half as Lookman remained a thorn In Milan’s flesh and would go on to grab a well-deserved goal seven minutes shy of half time, albeit in scrappy fashion.
From a long throw, Lookman was played in on goal by Teun Koopmeiners after which he finished beyond Juan Musso with aplomb.
Buoyed by his strike before the interval, Lookman kicked off the second half on a high and doubled his tally 10 minutes after the restart.
Ademola Lookman singlehandedly destroying Milan, our AFCON team is getting warmed up. ????? pic.twitter.com/05m4Jgsa9u
— LERRY (@_AsiwajuLerry) December 9, 2023
A second goal on the day further intensified Lookman's confidence but the winger would have been disappointed not to have completed his hat-trick 14 minutes from time when he squandered a glorious opportunity.
That was his final meaningful contribution to the contest as Lookman made way for Aleksey Miranchuk eight minutes later with the scores level at 2-2 after which Luis Muriel grabbed a late winner for Atalanta.
Lookman continues strong case for AFCON starting spot
Lookman's double saw him move up to six Serie A goals for the season – half of which have come in the last three gameweeks.
His three goals in four league matches since the international break have also accounted for 75% of Atalanta's total tally in that time.
The 26-year-old is hitting form at the right time as he aims to play his way into the thinking of Jose Peseiro ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Ademola Lookman, clearly a handy player in the half-spaces and closer to goal as a second striker/no.10. Keeps getting stuck out on the left for @NGSuperEagles and getting dog's abuse for not bringing his club form to the table. Fans would rather cite the "weight of the shirt".
— Solace Chukwu (@TheOddSolace) December 9, 2023
Here's how the 26-year-old compares to his competitors in the race to nail down a starting spot for Nigeria in Ivory Coast next year.
| S/N | Attacker | Goals | Assists |
| 1 | Kelechi Iheanacho | Six | Two |
| 2 | Samuel Chukwueze | One | One |
| 3 | Moses Simon | Three | Four |
| 4 | Nathan Tella | Two | Nil |
| 5 | Ahmed Musa | One | Nil |
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago
