Lookman Shines on Debut with Atletico Madrid

Ademola Lookman's debut for Atletico Madrid exceeded all expectations, even those of coach Diego Simeone. The Nigerian forward, a standout at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, had an incredible start with his new club, contributing to a dominant 5-0 victory over Real Betis in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

Lookman made history by becoming Atletico Madrid's first Nigerian goalscorer. According to data from MisterChip, he achieved this milestone during the match against Betis, where he was directly involved in three of the five goals.

Just before the half-hour mark, Atletico extended their lead to 2-0 after Lookman initiated a play, delivering a timely pass to Matteo Ruggeri, who set up Giuliano Simeone for the finish.

Lookman then scored his first goal for Atletico, making it 3-0 by skillfully dribbling past defenders before firing a precise shot off the post. He netted this goal just 37 minutes into his debut and later provided an assist for Antoine Griezmann's goal, bringing the score to 4-0.

On the other hand, Álvaro Fidalgo, who previously played for Real Madrid, made his return to Spanish football after five years in Mexico. He came off the bench for Nelson Deossa but had little impact on the game as Betis were already down 3-0.