Ademola Lookman suffered his first La Liga defeat with Atletico Madrid as Real Betis edged a narrow 1–0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday.
The Super Eagles forward had tormented the same opponents just days earlier, scoring and assisting in Atletico’s 5–0 Copa del Rey triumph, but this time Betis kept him quiet and left the capital with all three points.
Lookman thought he had given Atletico an equaliser in the first half, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside, as Betis’ disciplined display frustrated Diego Simeone’s side throughout the encounter.
The decisive moment came in the 28th minute. Betis launched a swift counterattack and Antony picked up the ball on the edge of the box, cut inside from the right, and fired a low, powerful strike beyond Jan Oblak into the far corner to make it 1–0.
Atletico attempted to respond immediately and believed they had levelled three minutes later when Lookman found the net, but the assistant’s flag cut celebrations short.
Simeone introduced Alexander Sorloth at the break to add more directness to the attack, and the hosts dominated possession in the second half. However, clear chances remained scarce against a well-organised Betis defence.
Goalkeeper Alvaro Valles proved crucial for the visitors, producing important saves to deny Sorloth and Giuliano Simeone from close range.
Atletico thought they had finally drawn level in the 77th minute when Diego Llorente turned the ball into his own net, but the goal was disallowed for offside in the build-up.
Betis defended resolutely in the closing stages, a sharp improvement from their midweek collapse, and held on to claim a valuable away victory, Manuel Pellegrini’s first win over Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano.
