Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman equals historic milestone at Atletico after first LaLiga goal

Ademola Lookman came to Madrid with a point to prove. On Saturday night at the Wanda Metropolitano, he proved it emphatically and in doing so, wrote his name into Atletico Madrid's history books.

The Super Eagles forward scored his fourth goal in six appearances for the Rojiblancos during a commanding 4-2 victory over Espanyol, matching the best goalscoring start by any Atletico player since the 2020/21 season. 

The player he drew level with? Luis Suarez. Not the Colombian one this time, the Uruguayan legend himself. 

Lookman has found his stride. Diego Simeone's side looks frightening because of it.

The afternoon did not begin as planned. Espanyol arrived at the Metropolitano as heavy underdogs but showed nobody had told them that. 

Jofre Carreras silenced the home crowd as early as the sixth minute, capitalising on uncharacteristic defensive hesitation to give the visitors a shock lead.

It was the kind of goal that tests a team's character. Atletico passed the test. The response was measured rather than panicked, controlled pressure, patient build-up, and growing intensity until the equaliser arrived. 

Alexander Sorloth provided it in the 21st minute, connecting with a powerful left-footed strike at the back post to restore parity and settle the Metropolitano's nerves.

At half time, the scoreline was level. The performance suggested it would not stay that way for long.

Simeone's side returned from the break with a different energy entirely. Four minutes in, Giuliano Simeone, the manager's son making his presence felt, fired the hosts ahead, finishing a perfectly weighted pass from Alex Baena to make it 2-1.

Then came Lookman's moment.

In the 59th minute, the Nigerian international rose highest inside the penalty area, held off his marker with composure beyond his six matches in Madrid, and guided a well-placed header into the net. The Wanda erupted. Lookman wheeled away, arms raised, the smile of a man who knows exactly where he belongs.

Four goals in six games. Level with Luis Suarez. History made.

Sorloth was not done either. The Norwegian grabbed his brace in the 72nd minute, meeting a Matteo Ruggeri cross with a thumping header to put the result beyond doubt and cap a dominant second-half display.

Espanyol refused to accept their fate quietly. Edu Exposito pulled one back in the 80th minute with a stunning long-range strike that gave the visitors brief hope and reminded everyone inside the ground that the game was not quite finished.

Atletico did not panic. They absorbed the pressure, managed their lead with the quiet authority of a side that has been in these situations before, and saw the match out to claim all three points.

The victory moves Atletico level on points with third-placed Villarreal as the race for a top-three finish in LaLiga intensifies. For Simeone, the result provides both momentum and validation, this is a squad finding its rhythm at exactly the right time.

For Lookman, the significance runs deeper. When he made the move to Madrid, questions followed him. Could he replicate his Serie A brilliance in a different league, under a different manager, in a different country? Six games in, the answer is increasingly clear.

Four goals. A historic record. The Wanda Metropolitano is already singing his name. Ademola Lookman has arrived.