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Ademola Lookman has praised Atletico Madrid’s resilience after the Spanish side battled to a 1-1 draw against VfB Stuttgart in the UEFA Champions League.
The two teams shared the spoils in their Matchday Three encounter at the MHPArena on Tuesday night.
Jamie Leweling put Stuttgart ahead in the 36th minute with a superb finish before Lookman, who came on after the break, set up Julian Alvarez for Atletico’s equaliser three minutes into the second half.
Atletico’s task became more difficult with 25 minutes remaining when Morten Hjulmand was sent off for a reckless challenge on Angelo Stiller, leaving the visitors to finish the contest with 10 men.
However, Diego Simeone’s men showed determination and defensive discipline to hold on for a valuable point away from home.
Lookman Hails Atletico’s Resilience
Lookman expressed satisfaction with his teammates’ fighting spirit, highlighting their response after falling behind and their determination to secure a result despite their numerical disadvantage.
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“I think they obviously started strong, they’re a strong team. Playing away from home is never easy. But we wanted to try change the tie in the second half, which we did with the goal,” Lookman told the club’s official website.
“We kept on pushing, but unfortunately we went down to ten men. We dug in, we showed our fight together, stuck together, we take a point away from home,” he added.
Winger Explains Assist for Alvarez
The Nigerian forward also revealed the thinking behind his decisive contribution, explaining that he was confident Alvarez would convert the opportunity inside the penalty area.
Lookman picked out the Argentine striker in the box, allowing him to restore parity for Atletico shortly after the restart.
“I just tried to look out for him in the box. He’s deadly in the box so I knew he would score,” the 29-year-old said.
The result leaves Atletico Madrid with four points from their opening three UEFA Champions League matches.
By Adeboye Amosu
