Atalanta BC forward Ademola Lookman has been named the Europa League Player of the Week following his brilliant showing against Marseille, Soccernet.ng reports.
Lookman was the standout star for Atalanta as the Serie A club secured a historic first-ever European final with a semifinal triumph over Marseille on Thursday.
The former Leicester City and RB Leipzig forward was in brilliant form as he scored the opening goal and provided the assist to the second goal as Atalanta romped to a 3-0 victory in the second leg of the semifinal showdown with the French giants.
Having claimed a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Marseille, Atalanta sealed a historic 4-1 aggregate victory to reach their first-ever European final.
Atalanta lost their last Europa League home game 1-0 against Liverpool in the quarterfinals.
However, Lookman ensured his side started well against Marseille, as he finished off a slick team move by firing home from the edge of the box to open the scoring in the 30th minute.
The 26-year-old forward turned provider seven minutes into the second half when he teed up Matteo Ruggeri to make it 2-0 and send the fans inside the Gewiss Stadium into jubilation.
El Bilal Touré netted Atalanta’s third in the fifth minute of storage time.
There was, however, no doubt that the outstanding performer of the night was Lookman.
What a night for Lookman
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 10, 2024
Your #UEL Player of the Week@hankookreifen || #UELPOTW pic.twitter.com/OMr56ewfgD
And the Super Eagles star’s excellent display was enough to see off stiff competition from Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar, who made 12 saves against Bayer Leverkusen to claim the prestigious Player of the Week accolade.
It is not a flash-in-the-pan performance for Lookman, as he has been a decisive figure all season for Atalanta. The former Everton winger has contributed 20 goals and assists in all competitions this season for the Serie A club.
In the final of the Europa League slated for Dublin, Atalanta BC and Lookman will trade tackles with Bayer Leverkusen, who parade fellow Nigerians Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella on May 22nd.
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