Ademola Lookman was visibly frustrated after being mistakenly substituted during Atalanta’s 1-0 home defeat to Lazio in Serie A on Sunday, a decision which manager Gian Piero Gasperini later admitted was an error, Footynaija.com reports.
In a tightly contested match at the Gewiss Stadium, Lazio matched Atalanta strength for strength for much of the encounter.
However, with Lazio leading by a lone goal, Gasperini surprised many by withdrawing Lookman and Mateo Retegui in the 74th minute, introducing Daniel Maldini and Lazar Samardzic as Atalanta chased an equaliser.
Lookman, clearly irritated, made his way to the bench looking unimpressed — understandably so, as Gasperini later confirmed the Nigeria international was not meant to be taken off.
“Yes, there was a mistake. I said Ede, they heard Ade,” Gasperini explained to DAZN, according to Calciomercato, clarifying that midfielder Ederson was the intended substitution, not Lookman.
Awkward moment in Atalanta’s 1-0 loss vs Lazio today… Ademola Lookman was accidentally substituted off the field! ♂️
There was a confusion between “Ade” and “Ede” — Gasperini wanted to sub off Ederson, NOT Lookman, reports @SkySport. pic.twitter.com/XUyeGt9iUW
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 6, 2025
It ended up being another frustrating outing for Lookman, who has now gone three Serie A games without a goal — his latest blank coming despite being involved in key attacking moments before the substitution.
Atalanta had their chances.
Christos Mandas denied Retegui in the 50th minute following a well-constructed move that featured Lookman.
However, it was Lazio who found the breakthrough. A defensive lapse by Atalanta allowed Gustav Isaksen to score in the 54th minute, following a deft header by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru that set up the Danish winger to finish.
The defeat leaves Atalanta ruing missed opportunities and a costly substitution mix-up, with the third-placed club now only three points ahead of Lazio in sixth.