Ademola Lookman delivered a decisive performance as Atlético Madrid booked their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals at the expense of FC Barcelona on Tuesday night.
At the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Atlético came into the second leg of the quarter-final with a 2–0 advantage from the first meeting at the Spotify Camp Nou.
However, Barcelona stormed back early, with Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scoring inside the opening 25 minutes to level the tie at 2–2 on aggregate.
Just when momentum seemed to swing in Barcelona’s favour, Lookman stepped up. The Nigerian forward struck in the 44th minute, calmly finishing a cross from Marcos Llorente to put Atlético back ahead on aggregate.
That goal proved decisive, as Diego Simeone’s side held firm in the second half to secure a 3–2 aggregate victory and advance to the last four.
Since his €35 million move from Atalanta BC in January 2026, Lookman has become a key figure for Atlético. His strike against Barcelona marked his sixth goal for the club across all competitions, underlining his importance in the title run-in.
Nigerian Milestone
With the goal, Lookman joins an elite list of Nigerians to play in a Champions League Semi final an the threshold of joining Nigeria winners like Finidi George, Kanu Nwankwo, Mikel Obi and Moses.
Atlético now march into the semi-finals full of confidence, with Lookman emerging as one of their most decisive weapons on the European stage.
