Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman continued his impressive form since joining Atletico Madrid by scoring in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night.

Lookman opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, capitalizing on a rapid counterattack orchestrated by the Rojiblancos. 

The Nigerian international combined deftly with Guiliano Simeone inside the box before calmly slotting the ball past goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

The goal marked Lookman’s first in four league matches, ending a brief goal drought that had seen him go scoreless against Real Oviedo, Real Sociedad, and Getafe.

With this strike, Lookman now has two goals in seven league appearances for Atletico Madrid.

According to the statisticians at Opta, the former African Footballer of the Year is the eighth Atlético Madrid player to score in his first La Liga derby against Real Madrid in the 21st century, and the first since Luciano Vietto in October 2015.

Despite a bright first-half display, Lookman struggled to impact the second half and was substituted in the 57th minute for Nahuel Molina, who later scored Atletico’s second goal with a powerful long-range effort. 

The substitution came as coach Diego Simeone sought to strengthen the side amid increasing pressure from Los Blancos.

Real Madrid secured the win with a double from Vinícius Júnior and a goal from Federico Valverde, overturning Lookman’s early advantage.

Adeyemi Adewale