By Olaitan Ibrahim
Nigerian international Ademola Lookman silenced his critics in emphatic fashion on Sunday, netting twice as Atalanta annihilated Empoli 5-0 in a ruthless Serie A display.
The electric forward, who had come under fire from his manager following Atalanta’s Champions League humiliation at the hands of Club Brugge, responded with a performance brimming with hunger and quality.
From the first whistle, Lookman was a nightmare for the Empoli defence, and by the time he left the pitch, he had written his name all over the game.
The demolition began in the 27th minute when Empoli’s Emmanuel Gyasi inadvertently put the ball into his own net while trying to clear a shot.
Just five minutes later, Lookman went down in the box under a challenge, but the referee waved away Atalanta’s penalty appeals.
The visitors were relentless, and moments later, Mateo Retegui doubled their lead with a clinical finish following a Berat Djimsiti assist. A brief VAR check confirmed the goal, and Atalanta’s dominance was officially underway.
Then came the moment Atalanta fans had been waiting for. In the 43rd minute, Retegui turned provider, threading a perfect pass through to Lookman. The Nigerian surged forward, faced the keeper one-on-one, and rifled a venomous shot into the net to make it 3-0.
If that was clinical, his second goal was simply unstoppable. Ten minutes after the restart, Lookman picked up the ball inside the box, danced past defenders, and lashed a low drive into the bottom right corner. Marco Silvestri stood no chance to make it 4-0.
Empoli’s misery was sealed in the 74th minute when Davide Zappacosta broke through and slotted home Atalanta’s fifth, putting the hosts out of their misery.
Despite Empoli’s desperate penalty appeal in the 60th minute after Junior Sambia went down in the box, the referee was unmoved.