Jimisayo Opanuga
Football fans in Ebonyi have urged Ademola Lookman to replicate his Europa Cup final heroics for the Super Eagles during its forthcoming world qualifiers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Lookman scored a hat-trick for his club, Atalanta Bergamo of Italian as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen of Germany 3-0 in the final of the 2023/2024 Europa league final.
With the feat on Wednesday night in Dublin, Ireland, Lookman became the first player to score hat-trick in the Europa league final.
The fans who spoke with NAN on Thursday in Abakalikii urged Lookman to replicate his form to earn Nigeria victory in the world cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic in June.
Charles Akpuenika, former Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Ebonyi, urged coach Finidi George to effectively utilise Lookman in both qualifiers to earn maximum results.
“Lookman combined the roles of a central midfielder and second striker in the match against Leverkusen and effectively used his creativity and knack for goals optimally.
“The Eagles handlers should not use him on the wings as this will reduce his predatory instincts which showed glaringly in the Europa league final,” he said.
Also, Cletus Ofoke, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of the state, congratulated Lookman and urged him to remain focused during the world cup qualifiers.
“Lookman should remain fit and focused as he has proven that his AFCON 2023 exploits were no fluke.
“The Eagles handlers should field creative midfielders in both qualifiers to ensure that Lookman and the others are steadily supplied with incisive passes needed for goals,” he said.
Chidi Obah, a former striker with the feeder team of Rangers International Feeder, urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award the African Footballer of the Year Award to Lookman for projecting the continent’s image tremendously.
“Lookman’s exploits in Dublin have made Africa produce the first player to score a hat-trick in the Europa Cup final.
“The player also capped a splendid AFCON scoring 20 goals in 57 matches for his club, making 10 goal scoring assists, winning the Europa league and its final match’s Man of the Match award,” he said.
Juliana Ndibe, a Teacher and football enthusiast, said Lookman’s performance should motivate young Nigerians to aim for the zenith in life.
“The unflinching Nigerian spirit always projects us to perform the unthinkable and keep tongues wagging across the globe.
“Nigerians should always hope for the best despite the teething social and economic challenges confronting the country,” she said
