Ademola Lookman ended his seven-match goal drought in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, inspiring Atalanta to a dominant 3–0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League at Deutsche Bank Park.
Eintracht Frankfurt began brightly, pushing Atalanta back in the opening exchanges, but Raffaele Palladino’s side soon settled and took control of proceedings.
The visitors came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half: Lookman struck the base of the post with a curling left-footed strike in the 35th minute, and Gianluca Scamacca hit the woodwork shortly after during a frantic goalmouth scramble.
A Ruthless Second Half
The second period belonged completely to Atalanta. Palladino, taking charge of his first Champions League match, watched his players raise their intensity and dismantle the Bundesliga side with a devastating burst of goals.
Ademola Lookman opened the scoring in the 60th minute with a precise first-time finish from Charles De Ketelaere’s low cross, ending his four-week wait for a goal and sending the away supporters into celebration.
Just one minute later, Lookman turned provider. The Nigerian international cut the ball back for Éderson, who calmly tapped home to double Atalanta’s advantage.
The onslaught continued in the 66th minute when De Ketelaere reacted quickest after Scamacca’s header crashed off the crossbar, slotting in the rebound to complete a six-minute blitz that stunned the home crowd.
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Atalanta’s Champions League Progress Strengthened
The victory hands Atalanta its second consecutive European away win, following their triumph over Olympique de Marseille two weeks earlier.
The result lifts the Italian side to 10 points from five matches, keeping them firmly on course for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16.
Atalanta will now turn their attention to domestic duties as they prepare to host ACF Fiorentina at the New Balance Arena on Sunday.
