Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman scored off the bench as Atletico Madrid defeated Manchester United 2-0 in their UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday.
Lookman struck in the 79th minute to seal the victory for the Spanish side after Pablo Barrios gave Atletico an early lead at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Barrios opened the scoring in the first minute after Lee Kang-in found Alex Baena, who created space before squaring the ball for the midfielder to finish.
Manchester United attempted to get back into the game, but Bryan Mbeumo failed to convert his chances, while captain Bruno Fernandes hit the crossbar.
Atletico thought they had doubled their advantage before the break, but the goal was ruled out following a video assistant referee review that established a handball by Marcos Llorente in the build-up to Johnny Cardoso’s effort.
United’s hopes of recovering suffered another setback when defender Leny Yoro was sent off following a VAR review of his challenge on Jonathan David.
The dismissal left the visitors with 10 men, and Atletico capitalised on their numerical advantage as Lookman found the net in the 79th minute.
According to The Guardian, the Nigerian forward reacted quickest after United goalkeeper Senne Lammens saved David’s effort but failed to keep the rebound away from him.
The victory marked Atletico’s first win in this season’s Champions League league phase following their opening 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Manchester United, meanwhile, suffered a setback after beginning their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Sabah FK.
Atletico will travel to face Stuttgart on October 21, while Manchester United are scheduled to host Como on the same date.
