Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman opened his Atletico Madrid account in style, scoring as Diego Simeone’s side claimed a convincing 3-1 victory over Sevilla in a Week 2 LaLiga clash.
Atletico wasted little time making their intentions clear. Just four minutes into the match, Alex Baena broke the deadlock, calmly finishing from Kang-In Lee’s assist to give the visitors an early lead.
Lookman then doubled Atletico’s advantage in the 26th minute, capping an impressive individual performance with a composed finish inside the box.
The Nigerian forward found himself in the right position after receiving Pablo Barrios’ pass, before guiding the ball into the bottom-left corner beyond the Sevilla goalkeeper. It was a confident finish that highlighted the pace, movement and attacking instinct Lookman brings to Atletico’s frontline.
The goal was also reward for an energetic start from the former Atalanta man. Lookman had already tested Sevilla from outside the box, although his earlier attempt was blocked.
Atletico continued to dominate and extended their lead seven minutes later. Baena grabbed his second goal of the afternoon in the 33rd minute, producing an excellent finish from the edge of the penalty area to send Simeone’s men into half-time with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Sevilla returned from the break with renewed purpose and managed to pull one goal back in the 66th minute. Miguel Sierra reacted quickest to a rebound inside the penalty area to give the home side a glimmer of hope.
Lookman was taken off shortly afterwards, with Simeone introducing Arnau Ortiz as Atletico reshaped their attacking setup.
The Nigerian winger could have added another goal after the interval. He found the net again, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. Another attempt from the edge of the box was subsequently blocked as Lookman continued to pose a threat before his substitution.
Despite Sevilla’s second-half improvement, Atletico held on comfortably to secure all three points.
The victory moves Simeone’s side to seven points from their opening three matches, lifting them to the top of the LaLiga table and underlining their impressive start to the new campaign.
For Lookman, it was an encouraging performance and an important early statement at his new club. After making his mark on the scoresheet, the Nigerian will be hoping his goal against Sevilla is the beginning of a productive spell in Madrid.
