Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman‘s goal in the Copa del Rey final was not enough as his Atletico Madrid side suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Real Sociedad on Saturday night, www.aclsports.com reports.
Real Sociedad lifted the Copa del Rey, claiming a 4-3 victory on penalties over Atlético Madrid after the match at the Estadio La Cartuja finished 2-2 after extra-time.
La Real made an incredible start to the game when Ander Barrenetxea looped a header past Juan Musso after just 14 seconds, before Atlético’s players had even touched the ball.
Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann began to dictate the tempo, and the pressure soon paid off when Ademola Lookman made space for himself in the area. Despite the close attention of three Sociedad defenders, the 2024 CAF Player of the Year still managed to find the bottom corner of Marrero’s net with a low drive.
It became a more physical affair afterwards, with few goalscoring opportunities until Musso fouled Guedes in the box, allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to send the keeper the wrong way and restoring Sociedad’s lead in first-half stoppage time.
Both sides came out after the break with renewed purpose, with Atleti keen to involve Lookman as much as possible. Surprisingly, the Nigerian was taken off by Diego Simeone in the 62nd minute for Nicolas Gonzalez as Atleti chased the game.
As the clock ticked towards FT, Alvarez found some space in between La Real’s backline before blasting home a left-footed effort. Álex Baena then missed an open goal from four yards out as Atlético went hunting for a late winner.
After a rather poor 30 minutes of extra time, penalty kicks would be required to decide the winner. Alexander Sørloth and Alvarez each saw penalties saved by Marrero with Atleti’s first two kicks, ultimately sealing their fate as Pablo Marín netted the crucial kick for Sociedad.
In four appearances in the Copa Del Rey for the Madrid side, Lookman scored three times, including his strike in the final and provided two further assists to continue his bright start to life under Diego Simeone.
