There was plenty of drama in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday as the second legs from the Round of 32 proceed with four intriguing clashes. Morocco national team starlet Eliesse Ben Seghir and CAF Player of the Year Ademola Lookman each scored but suffered elimination heartbreak.
For Lookman, the Nigerian scored but also failed to convert a penalty kick as Atalanta crashed out at the hands of Club Brugge by a 2-5 aggregate score. A brilliant first half away from home saw Brugge take a 3-0 lead. Lookman, who came on at halftime after six games out due to injury, made an immediate impact with a goal less than a minute into the second half.
It was a perfect start to the second half for Atalanta but the Italian club still needed three more goals to level the aggregate score. After having a potential second goal ruled out minutes earlier by VAR, Lookman and the hosts won a penalty kick on the hour mark. But Lookman had his spot kick well saved by Simon Mignolet in the Brugge goal, stopping all momentum and any hopes of a comeback.
It was a similar story for Ben Seghir and Monaco who entered Tuesday's clash with Portuguese giants Benfica having lost the first leg 1-0 at home. After Benfica opened the scoring, Takumi Minamino responded for the visitors before Ben Seghir struck early in the second half with a calm finish to level the aggregate score at 2-2.
The teams exchanged goals once again in the final fifteen minutes but after George Ilenikhena tied the aggregate score at 3-3, Orkun Kökçü scored the scored the crucial goal for Benfica in the 84th minute to win the tie.
Ben Seghir, who has struggled in 2025 after some moments of brilliance in the first half of the season, has scored in his last two matches now to bring his season total to eight goals in all competitions. Lookman now has 14 goals and 7 assists in 26 matches across all competitions for Atalanta.
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