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Ademola Lookman was unable to make the best of his second half Cameo as Atalanta and Marseille played out a draw in France
Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman was unable to inspire his side after coming off the bench as Atalanta and Marseille settled for a draw in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final.
The Nigerian star was brought on in the second half for goalscorer Gianluca Scamacca, but could not emulate the Italian’s feat of getting on the scoresheet as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.
How it happened
Marseille and Atalanta faced off in France, with the host team squandering numerous excellent chances to take a lead into the return leg.
Despite the noise at the Stade Velodrome, the visitors took the lead thanks to in-form striker Gianluca Scamacca, who hammered the ball into the bottom corner from 14 yards out to give his team a surprise lead in Marseille.
An injury to Sead Kolasinac made things worse for the hosts, but they were level before the halfway point of the first half thanks to an equally brilliant shot from an unlikely source, centre-back Chancel Mbemba, who hammered in from the edge of the penalty box.
The French will have felt they should have led at halftime, but in-form striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot wide from a good position five minutes before the break.
Marseille maintained the upper hand heading into the second half, with Aubameyang blasting at the custodian from a good position, while Sarr felt he had pushed his team ahead only to be denied by the offside flag.
The woodwork then denied Jean-Louis Gasset's side, as replacement Azzedine Ounahi's curling effort rocked the goal frame.
Atalanta, who were second best for most of the second half, hoped to cling on for a draw and send the tie back to Italy. Gasperini's side mustered only two shots on goal in the second period, one of which was on target. However, they held on and ensured that they had the lead going into the second leg.
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