Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman scored off the bench as Atletico Madrid defeated Manchester United 2-0, while Victor Osimhen endured a difficult night as Galatasaray suffered a 4-1 home defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
The contrasting results put the Nigerian forwards on opposite sides of the action, with Lookman making an impact after his introduction and Osimhen unable to prevent Galatasaray’s collapse in Istanbul.
At the Metropolitano, Pablo Barrios gave Atletico an early lead before Lookman came on in the 71st minute. The Nigerian forward struck late in the match, finishing from close range after Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens had saved Jonathan David’s initial effort.
United’s task became more difficult after Leny Yoro was sent off in the 74th minute. Atletico controlled 62 per cent of possession as they secured their first points of the league phase, while United’s winless run in all competitions extended to five matches.
In Istanbul, Osimhen returned from injury but could not inspire Galatasaray against Barcelona, who recovered from an early setback to claim a convincing victory.
Galatasaray thought they had doubled their advantage after Baris Alper Yilmaz headed home from an Osimhen flick, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee review.
Barcelona equalised shortly before half-time and took control with three second-half goals, scored in the 50th, 53rd and 65th minutes.
Osimhen struggled to find space against Barcelona’s defence and was repeatedly caught offside as the visitors dominated proceedings. Match statistics showed Galatasaray managed just two shots compared with Barcelona’s 23.
The defeat leaves Galatasaray without a point after two matches, putting pressure on the Turkish side to improve in their next European outing.
Another Nigerian, Moses Usor, could feature in European action on Wednesday as LASK prepare to face Liverpool, although the forward is reportedly a doubt following a shoulder injury. The match is scheduled to kick off at 5.45pm Nigerian time.
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