Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman delivered his most decisive Champions League performance of the season as he inspired Atalanta to a commanding 3–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Super Eagles winger, who had endured a relatively quiet European campaign before this week, burst into life in Germany with a goal and an assist during a devastating second-half spell that settled the contest.
After a tight first half in which both sides struggled to find rhythm, Atalanta returned with greater intent.
Lookman broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, timing his run perfectly to meet a precise low cross from Charles De Ketelaere and sweep home from close range.
Two minutes later, the Nigerian turned creator, slipping an intelligent pass into the path of Éderson, who finished confidently to double the Italian side’s advantage.
The flurry did not stop there. De Ketelaere added a third in the 65th minute, rounding off a sweeping move to place the game firmly out of Frankfurt’s reach. The win lifts Atalanta to 10 points from five matches and keeps them firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish as they prepare for a pivotal clash with Chelsea.
For Lookman, the performance marks a welcome upturn after a slow start to the season. His contributions last term, five goals and two assists, were central to Atalanta’s European run.
Frankfurt, meanwhile, find themselves slipping further into trouble. Stuck on four points after five matches, they have now dropped to 28th in the standings and face an uphill task ahead of their daunting trip to Barcelona.
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Mixed fortunes for other Nigerian players across Europe
Elsewhere, Nigerian players experienced contrasting evenings across the continent.
Raphael Onyedika featured for the full 90 minutes as Club Brugge suffered a heavy 3–0 defeat at Sporting CP.
The midfielder, only recently back from injury, was making his third appearance of the Champions League season after scoring in the club’s emphatic 4–1 win over Monaco earlier in the campaign. Vince Osuji remained an unused substitute.
19-year-old George Ilenikhena was also left on the bench as AS Monaco were held to a frustrating 2–2 draw at Pafos FC in Cyprus.
There was similar disappointment for several other young Nigerians.
Bayern Munich’s Wisdom Mike and Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri were both unused substitutes, though Nwaneri has already featured twice in the competition this season. However, Arsenal’s 3–1 victory over PSG pushed them three points clear at the top of the Champions League table, maintaining their perfect five-match run.
Liverpool’s teenage winger Rio Ngumoha also watched from the sidelines as the Reds endured a bruising 4–1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield — their ninth loss in 12 matches in a spiralling run of form for the reigning Premier League champions.
In Greece, Bruno Onyemaechi remained on the bench as Olympiacos fell 4–3 to Real Madrid. The story of the night, however, was Kylian Mbappé, who scored all four goals for the Spanish giants.
