Atalanta make substitution blunder after nickname confusion

The Bergamo side fell to a third consecutive defeat with a 1-0 loss at home to Lazio, in a match that featured a bizarre substitution incident involving the Nigerian winger.

In the 74th minute, with 16 minutes plus stoppage time still to play and the match finely poised, Atalanta fans were left puzzled as the fourth official's board showed Lookman's number for substitution.

There appeared to be some confusion on the bench as well, but the change went through. It was only afterwards that manager Gian Piero Gasperini realised the error, though by then it was too late to reverse it.

Gasperini had instructed his staff to substitute 'Ede', referring to Brazilian midfielder Ederson. However, the message was misheard as 'Ade', the nickname of Ademola Lookman, and the wrong player was withdrawn.

"Ederson was supposed to come off, we got it wrong – it just wasn't our day," Gasperini admitted in his post-match press conference. "It was our own mistake and we didn't manage to intervene in time before Lookman came off."

"We confused 'Ede' with 'Ade'... that's where the misunderstanding happened. I said 'Ede', as in Ederson, but they heard 'Ade', as in Ademola. By the time we realised, Lookman was already off and there was no way to undo it," he added.

The defeat sees Atalanta slip further away from second place. With seven matches remaining, they sit third on 58 points, but their Champions League qualification is far from secure

 Fiorentina, currently eighth, are just six points behind, while Bologna, Juventus, Lazio and Roma are all in contention for a top-four finish as the season enters its decisive stretch.