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Posted By Udokabestluv On February 26th, 2026

Atletico Madrid coach, Diego Simeone has explained why he didn’t start Ademola Lookman in his team’s UEFA Champions League Round of 16 playoff second leg 4-1 win against Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

Lookman came off the bench to make an impact with an assist as Atletico Madrid qualified for the last-16 stage on a 7-4 aggregate victory against the Belgium outfit.

Speaking at his post-match interview after the game, Simeone said Lookman was left out of the starting XI for tactical reasons due to the strong form of striker Alexander Sørloth.

The Argentine said, as quoted by Eldesmarque, “He [Lookman] didn’t play [start] because Sorloth played.”

Explaining further, Simeone added, “He [Lookman] will improve that [defensive ability] with time; his characteristics are purely offensive.

“Julián was going to work with the team because he knows us better. There are no big names.

“There are players. The game lasts 90 minutes. That is when we saw Griezmann come on in his thirties.”