Deborah Akinyosoye
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman opened his goal account for the year 2025 with a spectacular goal in Atalanta’s nail-biting 3-2 loss to Napoli at the Gewiss Stadium on Saturday evening.
Lookman’s first league goal of the season came in a 3-2 victory over Fiorentina on 15 September, and his latest strike underscores his consistency and importance to Atalanta’s ambitions.
The former Leipzig forward, whose 22 goals and 13 assists across 46 appearances were instrumental in Atalanta’s success story last season, rallied back for his side after he nutmegged Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, wove through three defenders, and slotted a precise shot through a crowded penalty area into the bottom corner.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team took the lead in the 16th minute through Serie A’s leading scorer Mateo Retegui and looked on the way to a huge win once Ademola Lookman leveled the scores nine minutes after half-time.
This season, Lookman has been a cornerstone of Atalanta’s attack, making 18 Serie A appearances. He has started in 16 matches, coming off the bench in two, and has contributed 10 goals and five assists, ranking him fourth in the league for goals scored and joint-third for assists.
His strike not only reignited Atalanta’s hopes but also etched a historic mark in Serie A. According to Opta, this was the first time in Serie A history that two Atalanta players scored in both the home and away fixtures against Napoli in a single season.
In the reverse fixture in Naples, Lookman netted a brace in Atalanta’s commanding 3-0 win at the Diego Maradona Stadium, while Retegui also scored in that match.
Romelu Lukaku fired Napoli six points clear at the top of Serie A with the decisive goal in Saturday’s thrilling 3-2 win at title rivals Atalanta, as Juventus beat AC Milan 2-0 to move into the Champions League spots. Belgium striker Lukaku nodded home his eighth Napoli goal from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s perfect cross in the 78th minute to give Antonio Conte’s team a statement win in Bergamo.
Atalanta are now seven points off the title pace in third after failing to win in four matches, with their previous three all drawn.
Atalanta also has Champions League football to contend with and face Sturm Graz and Barcelona in the next 10 days, while Napoli has no European distractions due to their disastrous title defense last season.