Nigeria professional footballer, Ademola Lookman’s first-half brace was enough to halt Napoli’s winning charge as Atalanta beat Napoli 3-0 on Sunday.

A 90+2 minutes goal from Mateo Retegui sealed the victory from the visiting team from Bergamo.

Despite Napoli coach Antonio Conte’s tactical planning, the former Chelsea manager’s efforts to contain Lookman were unsuccessful.

PUNCH Online earlier reported that Conte had warned about Lookman’s potential impact, noting, “This is a big danger because Atalanta are a strong team; they won the Europa League by ending Bayer Leverkusen’s season-long unbeaten record.”

Conte also reflected on Atalanta’s tactical edge and Lookman’s ability to make defenders work hard, even drawing comparisons to Arsenal’s approach against him in the Champions League.

He had said, “Against Atalanta, Arsenal put Thomas Partey on Ademola Lookman… It’s not just about defenders, but the whole team working together to defend.”

Lookman’s first-half performance once again underscored his top form, having already netted six goals in seven starts this season and ranked among the league’s best in assists.

PUNCH Online reports that in the intense Serie A clash between Napoli and Atalanta at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Lookman scored in the 10th and 31st minute silencing the home team.

Napoli won four out of the last five matches played, with Atalanta winning only one in a head-to-head record – the return leg away at this same ground with a 0-3 thump.

The 27-year-old forward on Monday achieved a significant milestone, ranking 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or standings.

Meanwhile, Arsenal, and Liverpool were on the player’s radar in the summer with PSG, and West Ham keeping keen eyes on the technical player.

Lookman also made the ten-man last Thursday shortlist as the Confederation of African Football unveiled the 2024 Men’s Player of the Year award.

Lookman and William Troost-Ekong were among the distinguished nominees with in-form striker Victor Boniface and reigning titleholder Victor Osimhen notably absent.

He will be looking forward to winning as a favourite, having conquered Europe, scoring a hat trick in the 2023/24 Europa League final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen to secure Atalanta’s first major title win since 1963.

Credit: punchng.com