Ademola Lookman had a difficult outing as Atlético Madrid suffered a 3–0 defeat to Athletic Club at San Mamés on Saturday.
The Nigeria international started the La Liga match but struggled to influence Atlético’s attack. Diego Simeone substituted him in the 58th minute, replacing him with Arnau Ortiz as part of four changes following a poor start to the second half.
Athletic Club took control shortly after the break. Nico Williams and Robert Navarro scored within three minutes before Oihan Sancet completed the victory in the 90th minute.
Stewart Robson Criticises Lookman’s Performance
Former Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson criticised Atlético’s attacking performance during ESPN’s analysis of the match.
Robson argued that Atlético lacked the creativity and combination play required to break through Athletic Club’s defence. He also singled out Lookman for failing to become involved in the contest.
“They didn’t have the ability, individual brilliance, and combined effect of two or three players linking with each other to break Athletic Club down,” Robson said.
He added: “It was a poor second-half performance. Lookman didn’t really get involved in the game.”
The comments followed a match in which Atlético struggled to turn their possession into clear scoring chances. Simeone’s side had 62% possession and attempted 15 shots but could not find the net.
Lookman Had Scored Against Sevilla
Lookman entered the Athletic Club match after a stronger display against Sevilla the previous week.
He scored his first goal of the season during Atlético’s 3–1 victory at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. It was his first goal after starting the campaign without scoring against Málaga and Villarreal.
He could not produce another decisive attacking performance in Bilbao, where Atlético suffered their first La Liga defeat of the season.
Liverpool Await Atlético Madrid
Atlético must now turn their attention to the Champions League.
Simeone’s team will travel to Anfield on Wednesday to face Liverpool in their opening European fixture, giving Lookman another opportunity to contribute after his subdued performance against Athletic Club.
