Sevilla secured a pivotal 2-1 home win over Atlético Madrid at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium on Saturday, a result that lifted the Andalusian club out of the La Liga relegation zone — but not before their new manager experienced a moment of genuine anxiety caused by Nigeria international Ademola Lookman.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Marca reported that Sevilla head coach Luis García Plaza made a candid admission regarding the threat posed by the former African Footballer of the Year. “Even I was scared when Lookman got the ball. I liked that the team stepped up again after that equaliser,” he said.
The victory marked a successful home debut for García Plaza, who took charge of Sevilla as they battled near the foot of the table. Earlier on Saturday, Sevilla had briefly dropped into the bottom three following Elche’s win over Valencia, making the three points against Atlético all the more significant.
Sevilla broke the deadlock inside the opening ten minutes when striker Akor Adams — the club’s top scorer this season — converted a penalty to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage. Serbian midfielder Nemanja Gudelj added a second goal to extend the lead, with those two strikes ultimately proving enough to end a run of three consecutive defeats for the Seville-based club.
Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone had opted to rotate his squad significantly for the fixture, leaving Lookman, Julián Álvarez, and Antoine Griezmann on the bench at kick-off. The decision was widely attributed to Atlético’s upcoming UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona on Tuesday, with Simeone prioritising squad freshness for the European tie.
With his side trailing and in need of a breakthrough, Simeone introduced Lookman with 19 minutes remaining. The Nigerian winger’s arrival immediately altered the dynamic of the game and, according to García Plaza’s own admission, caused visible concern on the Sevilla bench. Despite the pressure applied in the closing stages, Atlético were unable to overturn the deficit.
Lookman, 27, has been one of the standout forwards in European football over recent seasons. He won the African Footballer of the Year award after a remarkable 2023-24 campaign with Atalanta, which included a match-winning hat-trick in the UEFA Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He subsequently completed a transfer to Atlético Madrid, where he has continued to feature prominently for Simeone’s side.
The defeat leaves Atlético Madrid’s focus firmly on Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, while Sevilla will draw considerable confidence from a result that has, at least temporarily, eased the pressure of a difficult relegation battle. García Plaza’s side now sit above the drop zone following the win, though the margin for error in the lower reaches of La Liga remains slim with the season entering its final weeks.
