Ademola Lookman marked his return from injury with a goal, but he also missed a penalty as Atalanta were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Club Brugge on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The reigning African Player of The Year has been out since the end of January with a knee injury, and he needed just 35 seconds to make his presence felt after he was brought on at halftime with the Italian side down by three goals.
The deficit on the night then quickly looked like it would be halved when, after a VAR review, Tzolis was adjudged to have hauled Cuadrado to the ground. Lookman, however, saw his penalty brilliantly saved by Mignolet, who soon denied Retegui as Club Brugge did well to limit Atalanta’s opportunities.
La Dea’s frustration was compounded late on as skipper Rafael Tolói was sent off for knocking over Maxim De Cuyper after the left-back prevented a quick throw-in, allowing the visitors to comfortably see out the contest for a memorable victory.
Club Brugge emphatically ended their seven-game winless away run against Italian opposition (D2, L5), beating Atalanta 3-1 in Bergamo and 5-2 on aggregate to reach the UEFA Champions League last 16.
Atalanta’s wait for consecutive UCL home wins therefore goes on, while Club Brugge are in dreamland ahead of a potential tie against either Lille or Aston Villa next month.
