'It happened to De Bruyne' - Atalanta coach reacts to heated touchline row with Lookman

Atalanta manager Ivan Juric has dismissed the heated exchange he had with Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman during his side's 1-0 victory over Olympique Marseille on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League.

The incident occurred in the 75th minute when Lookman was substituted for Yunus Musah. 

The Nigerian appeared visibly frustrated as he left the pitch, exchanging words with Juric before the situation briefly escalated.

The Atalanta coach, clearly irritated, attempted to call the winger to order and even grabbed his arm before teammates and technical staff intervened to calm both parties.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Juric played down the confrontation, insisting such moments are part of the intensity of modern football.

"These are normal incidents in modern football; they happen every week, everywhere," Juric said as quoted by Tuttoatalanta.

"Players never willingly accept being sent off; it happened to De Bruyne in Naples, it happens everywhere," 

He urged his players to always prioritize the team's success above personal ambitions or individual frustrations.

"On the pitch, there's adrenaline, there's nerves, but then it all ends up in the locker room. 

"The key is to remember that the only thing that matters is Atalanta, the group, the team, the fans. 

"We all have to pull in the same direction and respect this shirt. Everything is cleared up and we move on," he added.  

Lookman has endured a slow start to the current campaign, scoring just once in nine appearances across all competitions.

The Super Eagles forward will be hoping to rediscover his scoring form ahead of Atalanta's upcoming Serie A clash against Sassuolo this weekend.

Adeyemi Adewale

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