Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has his say on Ademola Lookman’s penalty miss at West Ham United
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is backing Ademola Lookman to bounce back from his botched penalty at West Ham United.
The on-loan RB Leipzig man horribly executed a Panenka-style spot-kick in Saturday’s 1-0 loss in east London which would have salvaged a point for the Whites.
Mitrovic, who missed a penalty against Sheffield United, has confirmed he is back as the nominated taker.
The Serbian international said: “He [Lookman] is really good with penalties but sometimes you have to do something to learn from it.
“He will learn the hard way – but it’s happened and it’s football. If he had scored then everybody would say: ‘What an unbelievable goal – to have the courage to do this in the last minute’.
“He should not do this, when you watch back now. He will be a big player for us this season. I’m so confident in him and I believe in him.
“I tried it [a Panenka] for the national team and I missed as well. Ade is a great guy and a great player – I’m sure he knows that he made a mistake.”
Lookman posted an apology on social media.
He said: “I take full responsibility and onus for it. To my team-mates, manager and the supporters I vow to put the next one in. I will not let one failure hold me back.”