Pain to power — Lookman sends final message to Gasperini after penalty debacle

Ademola Lookman had the perfect follow-up to the past week’s squabble with Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini, scoring a brace in their 5-0 victory against Empoli. After the match, he took to social media to share his elation, employing a succinct caption. 

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the latest soccer News in Nigeria from Pulse Sports

As Pulse Sports reported, Lookman was the subject of reckless tongue-lashing by his manager Gian Piero Gasperini for his penalty miss in their Champions League defeat and subsequent exit to Club Brugge. 

Gasperini tagged Lookman “the worst penalty taker” he has seen and accused the Nigerian of glory hunting. Lookman, in reply, released a statement decrying the manager’s words and explaining why he took the penalty instead of the designated takers, Charles de Ketelaere and Mateo Retegui. 

This little fracas led to suggestions that Gasperini might leave the former Fulham forward on the bench for the weekend, but the 27-year-old was named from the start. 

The CAF POTY scored twice and was named MOTM for his efforts in leading La Dea to an emphatic victory. Following the game, Lookman, understanding the poetry of it all, shared a picture of himself celebrating one of his two goals and captioned it “Pain into power.”

The Nigerian had been sorely missed by the Bergamo-based club, which only managed one win in their four league games in his absence. With Lookman back, they will hope to claw back the gap on Napoli and reignite their title ambitions.