Atlético Madrid claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Getafe CF in their La Liga clash on Saturday, with Ademola Lookman appearing from the bench at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Soccernet.ng reports.
The only goal of the match came very early. Defender Nahuel Molina scored in the eighth minute to give Atlético the lead and eventually the three points.
Lookman started the game on the bench after playing a big role for Atlético earlier in the week in their impressive 5-2 UEFA Champions League win over Tottenham Hotspur.
With the important second leg coming up in London next week, Atlético coach Diego Simeone chose to manage the Nigerian forward’s workload by resting him at the start.
Despite the absence of Lookman and forward Antoine Griezmann from the starting line-up, Atlético made a strong start to the match.
Molina’s early goal was a moment of real quality. The Argentine right-back picked up the ball outside the box and fired a powerful shot from distance. The effort flew into the top-right corner, leaving Getafe goalkeeper David Soria with no chance.
However, that proved to be Atlético’s only goal of the evening.
Ademola Lookman makes impact after Getafe red card
After taking the lead, Atlético had several chances to score again but could not find a second goal. Molina and striker Alexander Sørloth both had opportunities to extend the advantage, but their finishing let them down.
Getafe also created a few chances of their own. Forward Martin Satriano and midfielder Luis Milla both tested Atlético goalkeeper Juan Musso, who produced important saves to keep his team ahead.
The match changed in the 55th minute when Getafe were reduced to ten players. Defender Abdel Abqar was sent off after a VAR review showed him grabbing Sørloth in an inappropriate manner.
Shortly after the red card, Lookman was introduced into the game. The Nigerian attacker quickly tried to make an impact.
One of his first contributions was a clever pass inside the box to Julián Álvarez. The Argentine striker looked ready to score, but a Getafe defender cleared the ball off the goal line.
Lookman also tried his luck from outside the box with a shot from the edge of the area, but the effort went wide of the post.
By the end of the match, the Nigeria international had completed 11 passes, nine of them accurate. He also had one shot and created one big chance during his time on the pitch.
Getafe fought hard despite playing with ten men, but Atlético held on to secure a valuable victory. The result gives Simeone’s side their 17th league win of the season.
The win moves Atlético two points ahead of fourth-placed Villarreal CF, who played a 1-1 draw against Deportivo Alavés on Friday.
Ademola Lookman and Atlético will now turn their focus back to Europe, where they face Tottenham again in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie on Wednesday.
