Lookman scores on return from injury but Atalanta crash out of UCL

Ademola Lookman scored and missed a penalty in Atalanta’s 3-1 loss to Club Brugge in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League (UCL) play-off clash. 

The defeat at Gewiss stadium on Tuesday night sent Atalanta out of UCL with a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.

Lookman was a shining light for Atalanta in his first game since suffering a knee injury in January.

The injury ruled him out of the first leg of the encounter, and his substitute performance in the return fixture proved insufficient for an overwhelmed Atalanta.

Lookman was upstaged by Raphael Onyedika, who put in a stellar display for Club Brugge on a historic night. The Belgian club qualified for a consecutive round of 16 in the competition for the first time since 1991.

Chemsdine Talbi scored a brace before Ferran Jutgla added the third as the Belgian champions ran riot in the first half against their Italian counterpart.

Talbi put the visitors ahead with the first attack in the third minute before doubling the lead on 27 minutes from a rebound.

Lookman made an instant impact with a goal seconds after coming on as a substitute. He swept home Davide Zappacosta’s cutback to reduce the deficit on 46 minutes.

The 27-year-old forward had the ball in the net again but was disallowed before the former Everton man’s eventful night worsened with a penalty miss on 61 minutes.

Lookman and Atalanta valiantly tried to add more goals but could not breach the visitors, and they were reduced to ten men three minutes from time as they crashed out of the competition.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich needed a last-minute Alphonse Davies goal to seal passage into the round of 16, while AC Milan were knocked out by Feyenoord following a 1-1 scoreline on the night at San Siro, and 2-1 aggregate victory to the Dutch side.

RESULTS
Atalanta 1-3 Club Brugge (Club Brugge advance 5-2 on aggregate)
AC Milan 1-1 Feyenoord (Feyenoord advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic (Bayern Munich advance 3-2 on aggregate)
Benfica 3-3 Monaco (Benfica advance 4-3 on aggregate)