Lookman strikes again as Atalanta defeat Stuttgart

Former Leipzig professional Ademola Lookman has once again proved a thorn in German football's side. Just as he did in the Europa League final against Leverkusen this past spring, the Nigerian international broke through against a German club with a pivotal goal in a crucial match. Sebastian Hoeneß' VfB Stuttgart now find themselves with just four points through four 2024/25 UCL match-days. On-loan Atalanta Bergamo striker El Bilal Touré was unable to make his mark against his parent club. 

Hoeneß' projected 4-2-3-1 more closely resembled a 4-4-2 with Deniz Undav working as a direct service striker once the Cannstatter got settled. The Swabians struggled to produce much from open play in the beginning, with defender Anthony Rouault heading over the first major chance of the game off a short corner variation in the 11th. As a rather drab first-half wore on, there really wasn't much of note in a prolonged midfield statement. The Italian guests retained a slight optical advantage. Undav hit the side netting after a Chris Führich cutback in the 45th. 

The second half proved much more entertaining, in part due to the fact that Bergamo trainer Gian Piero Gasperini opted to introduce Belgian attacker Charles de Ketelaere. The 23-year-old sub immediately made an impact, torching VfB fullback Maximilian Mittestädt and Chris Führich before crossing in for Lookman in the 51st. Lookman only had to stretch out a leg to knock in the 1-0. Five minutes later, Stuttgart's first sub nearly equalized. Ermedin Demirovic (on for the injured Undav) nearly tapped home another Führich cutback in the 55th. 

There were additional scoring chances at both ends as the match picked up steam. A littler cleaner play from Ederson (58th) and Touré (68th) might have seen either side score another goal. In the final 20 minutes, the Serie A side allowed the Germans to have more of the ball whilst sitting back in a deep block. The Swabians found no real way past this tactic. If anything, it was "I Nerazzurri" who appeared more dangerous on the counter. 

Such was the pattern as the match concluded. The Germans produced two distance efforts (Jarzinho Malanga in the 82nd and Pascal Stenzel in the 87th) that came close. Ultimately, however, the Italians capitalized on the overcommitted VfB. Nicolo Zaniolo scored the 2-0 in the 88th after Anthony Rouault turned the ball over.