Zappacosta Delighted by Lookman and Gasperini’s Reconciliation
Atalanta star, Davide Zappacosta has expressed his delight over the renewed harmony between his teammate Ademola Lookman and manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
Zappacosta welcomed the peace between the pair following their recent fallout over a missed penalty in Atalanta’s 3-1 defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League playoff at the Gewiss Stadium on Tuesday, February 18.
After the loss, Gasperini publicly criticised Lookman for taking the penalty instead of the designated taker, Charles De Ketelaere, bluntly labelling him “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen.” Lookman fired back the following day, accusing his coach of disrespect, which prompted Atalanta to hold an emergency meeting to diffuse the escalating row.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and last weekend’s 4-0 Serie A victory over Juventus provided a public display of their reconciliation. Gasperini and Lookman shared a warm embrace as the Nigerian forward was substituted— a gesture that Zappacosta described as a positive moment for the team.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, via SOS Fanta, Zappacosta said, “The hug between Gasperini and Lookman? It was a nice gesture from both of them. But the coach was right: it was something born and died there. These are football things; when you spend so much time together, situations like this happen.”
Lookman has been included in Atalanta’s 21-man squad for their Serie A clash against Inter Milan at the Gewiss Stadium on Sunday evening. After the game, the Super Eagles star is expected to travel to Kigali for Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Rwanda.
