Ademola Lookman ruled out of Nigeria’s return leg against Tanzania after scans revealed a knee ligament sprain, the Super Eagles press officer has confirmed, in a huge blow for head coach Eric Chelle ahead of Tuesday’s qualifier in Zanzibar.
The Atletico Madrid forward was forced off in first-half stoppage time during Friday’s 3-1 win over Tanzania in Uyo. Chelle played the injury down after the game, calling it “a little problem”, and Lookman was listed as a doubt while the medical team waited for the scan results. Those results have now settled it: a ligament sprain in his knee, and no trip to Zanzibar.
What the scans revealed — and what Chelle said first
“Ademola has a little problem,” Chelle said after the match in Uyo. “He took a knock on his knee when he tried to score a goal with his left foot.”
The coach added that the knee “started to feel bad” after the challenge, which is why Lookman had to leave the pitch. He was replaced by Moses Simon with the score at 1-1, and he watched the rest of the evening from the bench as Tolu Arokodare’s second-half brace sealed the win.
Chelle gave no indication of how serious the injury was at the time. The picture changed on Saturday, when the Super Eagles press officer confirmed the scans had revealed a ligament sprain — an injury that rules the attacker out of the crucial second leg in Zanzibar on Tuesday, November 17.
Ademola Lookman ruled out: Arokodare in line to start as Chelle reshuffles
Lookman’s absence may open up a starting role for two-goal hero Arokodare alongside Akor Adams in attack. The Ajax striker came off the bench at half-time in Uyo and scored twice in eight minutes to turn the game around, and Chelle has since hailed him as “one of the best strikers in the world” — praise that now looks like a hint about Tuesday’s team selection.
There is better news elsewhere in the squad. Calvin Bassey and Benjamin Fredrick have both recovered from the cramps they suffered during the first leg, Chelle confirmed, so the coach should have his first-choice defence available for the trip to the Amaan Stadium.
Nigeria travel to Zanzibar on Sunday, and another win would put them firmly in control of their qualification destiny. The Super Eagles sit second in Group L on six points from three matches, one behind leaders Guinea-Bissau, and a second win over Tanzania would keep the pressure on at the top.
The timing could hardly be worse for Lookman
The injury comes at an awkward moment for the player himself. Lookman had made a bright start to the match in Uyo, slipping a pass through for Alhassan Yusuf to score inside two minutes, and he looked sharp until the moment he went down.
It is also a setback for his club career. Lookman has already struggled for minutes under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid — he was left on the bench against Barcelona last weekend — and his agent says he wants a January exit, with Roma circling for a reunion with Gian Piero Gasperini. An injury now is the last thing the player or his club needs.
No timeline has been given for his return beyond Tuesday’s match, and Atletico will now be waiting on the medical reports before they can assess the full extent of the problem. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
With Ademola Lookman ruled out, the Super Eagles will fly to Zanzibar on Sunday without one of their most experienced attackers, and the pressure now falls on Arokodare, Adams and Simon to deliver the goals that would seal six points from the double-header.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Stepro) — collage by SportsBuddy
