'Is this a prank?' — Angry fans call for investigation after Atalanta collapse on Lookman's return

Football can be a ​cruel game, but for Atalanta fans on Wednesday night, it felt downright suspicious in the penultimate match of the UEFA Champions League league phase.

After a first-half masterclass that had the Bergamo faithful dreaming of a top-eight finish, La Dea inexplicably fell apart in the second half, handing a 3-2 lifeline to an Athletic Bilbao side that started the night languishing in 32nd place. 

Not even the heroic return of AFCON 2025 superstar Ademola Lookman could save them from a result that has sparked ‘rigged’ accusations across social media.

The mood on social media quickly shifted from celebration to pure toxicity in just 45 minutes. For many supporters, the nature of the defeat was too strange to be a mere accident.

One furious fan didn't hold back, labelling the performance a “joke” and fuming, “Play the best first half of football of the entire season, and then fall apart in the 2nd half. Falling into the playoffs again.”

As the mistakes piled up, the theories began to fly. “Yeah I’ve seen enough,” one observer claimed. “This was fixed... Atalanta’s defence absolutely giving up on purpose to allow open spaces. Bilbao have 3 shots all goals. That’s rigged.”

Other supporters were even more blunt, with one viral post simply telling the team to “Delete your s* Italian club.”

The first half was all Atalanta. Gianluca Scamacca continued his red-hot European form, meeting a perfect Nicola Zalewski cross to thunder a header past Unai Simón.

At that point, the visitors from Spain's LaLiga, Bilbao, looked buried, and the Italians looked like Champions League contenders.

But everything changed after the break. Gorka Guruzeta silenced the home crowd after a brilliant long-ball assist from Robert Navarro.

With Atalanta chasing a winner, they brought on Ademola Lookman to a standing ovation. But minutes later, Bilbao substitute Nico Serrano turned the game on its head with a clinical finish.

The Dagger: Navarro went from provider to scorer, punishing a Atalanta's shocking defensive lapse at the back to make it 3-1.

Fresh from being named in the AFCON 2025 Best XI, Lookman showed exactly why he’s Africa's most dangerous winger.

In the dying minutes, he found space through the Bilbao defence and squared a brilliant ball for Nikola Krstović to tap home.

It was a moment of pure quality, but it was too little, too late.

While some fans cried "fix," others pointed the finger directly at coach Raffaele Palladino. “They played for a draw and lost,” one critic argued. “All the blame lies with the cowardly coach who plays only not to lose."

The defeat is a massive blow to Atalanta’s hopes of automatic qualification for the Round of 16. Instead of cruising into the top eight, they now face a nerve-wracking battle in the play-off and their own fans aren't letting them forget it.