Lookman on Target as Atalanta Crush Sturm Graz, Progress to Play-off

African Player of the Year, Ademola Lookman, was on the scorer’s sheet last night as Atalanta crushed Sturm Graz 5-0 to progressed to the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League. The strike was Lookman’s fourth Champions League goal.

The defeat saw Sturm Graz – playing for the first time in six weeks because of the Austrian winter break – eliminated from the competition with a game to spare, though the Austrian Bundesliga leaders should have taken an early lead.

Less than a minute after Amady Camara flashed wide when through on goal, Italy striker Matteo Retegui converted Davide Zappacosta’s cross from close range to put Atalanta ahead.

Half-time substitute Ademola Lookman appeared to have made an instant impact when he squared across the face of goal for Charles De Ketelaere to tap home, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

Former Everton attacker Lookman was denied twice in quick succession by Sturm Graz goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, before Mario Pasalic stabbed home Juan Cuadrado’s cross to double the advantage.

Last season’s Europa League winners continued to push for a third, and soon got it when De Ketelaere tucked home after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

Lookman blazed over the bar when one-on-one with Scherpen, before fellow substitute Marco Brescianini was thwarted by a last-ditch challenge and the offside flag denied Zappacosta.

Lookman finally got his goal late on by heading home De Ketelaere’s cross at the back post, and there was time for Brescianini to add another.

Victory against Barcelona on Wednesday 29 January could secure a place in the top eight and direct passage to the last 16 for the Italian side.

RESULTS 

UCL

Atalanta 5-0 S’Graz

Monaco 1-0 Aston Villa 

Atletico – Leverkusen 

Benfica – Barcelona 

Bologna – Dortmund

C’Brugge – Juventus 

C’Zvezda – PSV

Liverpool – Lille

Sl’Bratislava – Stuttgart 

Europa League

Galatasaray 3-3 D’Kyiv

TODAY 

UCL

RB Leipzig v Sporting CP

Shakhtar v Brest

AC Milan v Girona

Arsenal v D’Zagreb

Celtic v Young Boys

Feyenoord v B’Munich 

PSG v Man City

R’Madrid v Salzburg 

S’Prague v Inter

Europa League

Besiktas v Bilbao