Super Eagles stars Ademola Lookman and Maduka Okoye were front and center in Atalanta’s 2-1 Serie A victory over Udinese, a game that highlighted the fortunes of Nigeria’s international players in Europe. Lookman, recently called up for Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda, appeared on the scoresheet—only to have his goal ruled out after a close VAR review.

The disallowed goal came during a scrappy moment in the box when the ball found Lookman in a perfect position. He slotted it past his Nigerian teammate Okoye, who was guarding Udinese’s goal. However, after a review by referee Marco Di Bello, Lookman was flagged offside, resetting the score to 0-0.

Shortly after, Udinese managed to break the deadlock, giving them a brief lead. Atalanta responded quickly with a goal from Mario Pasalic and secured the win when an own goal by Udinese’s Isaak Toure sealed their fifth consecutive victory.

Meanwhile, Okoye, Udinese’s Super Eagles goalkeeper, found himself unable to hold off Atalanta’s determined attacks, extending Udinese’s losing streak to three games. As both players prepare for the AFCON qualifiers under interim coach Augustine Eguavoen, they’ll be eager to bring their A-game and help Nigeria advance to the tournament.