'Probably one of the top teams' - Lookman admits after facing Arsenal in Champions League opener

Ademola Lookman has reflected on Atalanta facing Arsenal in their first UEFA Champions League game this season, played at the Gewiss Stadium on Thursday night.

The game ended in a barren draw as both sides managed to shut each other out though the home side wasted an opportunity to score from the penalty spot.

Three minutes into the start of the second half, referee Clément Turpin awarded a penalty to the Serie A side after Thomas Partey fouled Ederson inside the box.

Mateo Retegui stepped up to take the penalty, but David Raya pulled up a massive save to deny him, and his attempt to score from the rebound was incredibly denied by the Spanish goalkeeper.

Atalanta would ruin the miss as the Gunners denied them the opportunity to find the back of the net afterwards to ensure the game ended in a barren draw.

Speaking to the club's YouTube channel after the game, Lookman felt they played well against the Premier League side who he described as one of the best in the competition.

"We had a good game and we were very close to the victory tonight but good performance from the team.It is a tough match tonight but we are still strong in every department. So, good signs.”

"Arsenal is a tough team. Probably one of the top teams in the Champions League and obviously with our performance tonight, we showed the capacity and ability to come up against such a big team and compete which is good. We showed that tonight, so we move forward.”

Lookman scored a hat-trick in last season's Europa  League final against Bayer Leverkusen to help Atalanta qualify for the competition.

He has made just two appearances in the Champions League and is yet to score.

His next opportunity to score his first goal in the competition comes up on October 2 when they face Shakhtar Donetsk.
    
Abdulkareem Abdulhamid

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