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Atletico will compete against Barcelona in the Cup semifinals.

Ademola Lookmanvoiced his happiness following his 100th goal of his professional career on his Atletico Madrid debut, with coach Diego Simeone and teammate Antoine Griezmann commending the Nigerian’s influence in the 5-0 Copa del Rey quarter-final victory over Real Betis on Thursday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

The forward’s significant goal placed him as the first Nigerian athlete to find the net in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, and the Copa del Rey.

Lookman, who moved to Atletico from Atalanta in the winter transfer window, dashed past Betis’ defenders in the 37th minute and placed the ball into the far corner to score a 3-0 goal.

His artistic impact persisted after halftime as he provided an ideally judged pass to Griezmann, who scored Atletico’s fourth goal from outside the box.

The 28-year-old has managed to score in his first match for each of his last four clubs – Everton, RB Leipzig, Atalanta, and now Atletico Madrid.

“Extremely proud and very happy about my debut, especially regarding the team’s performance. The team, everyone in the locker room welcomed me in a very warm manner. They made things easy for me. That’s why I’m so happy,” Lookman said, as reported by MD.

I’ll strive to be consistent throughout the season. Everyone puts in a lot of effort. There are areas that can be enhanced, but my goal is to keep working on improving, which is what truly matters.

Atletico’s coach Simeone expressed satisfaction with Lookman’s play and anticipates the Nigerian star will become a key figure in the near future.

“His qualities are evident on their own. He is a unique player compared to all others, an expert in one-on-one situations, although he also possesses team play skills,” Simeone stated.

This enables us to experiment with various roles. We aren’t certain. He made a significant positive contribution to the team, he felt comfortable, hopefully we can assist him in becoming an even more skilled player and he can contribute to our team’s development.

He joined Movistar, “He’s a large individual, 28 years old. He came to support us and we hope to assist him so he can keep developing. He possesses unique attributes compared to our current players, which will enhance our team.”

French World Cup champion Griezmann, who benefited from Lookman’s pass, commended the warm and inclusive environment in the team.

“We are a team, a changing room, a club, and a very friendly fanbase,” Griezmann said to Marca.

Every person who arrives is greeted instantly, and we observe this with the new arrivals. Let’s appreciate the new players and hope they bring us happiness as they did tonight.

After winning, Atletico were paired with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

The initial match of the semi-final will be held in Madrid next week, followed by the return game at Camp Nou at the beginning of March.

Barcelona currently possess the trophy, after defeating Real Madrid 3-2 in last year’s championship match, and they hold the record for the most victories in the Copa del Rey’s history with 32 championships. Atletico have secured the title ten times.

The other semi-final will feature Real Sociedad facing Athletic Bilbao in a Basque derby.

A significant portion of Lookman’s goal-scoring achievements has taken place in Italy, where he scored 55 goals for Atalanta, a higher total than with any other team.

Among his preferred rivals, Fiorentina are notable, as Lookman netted six goals and delivered three assists in eight matches against them.

In England, Lookman scored goals against Manchester City, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Leeds United.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).