Atlético Madrid forward, Ademola Lookman, praised his teammates’ discipline and unity after their 2-0 win over FC Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday, warning that the job is far from done ahead of the return leg.

Atlético have one foot in the semi-finals after a spell of disciplined performance saw them overcome Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

It was their fifth meeting since December, while Lookman was facing them for the third time since joining the club in January.

The Nigerian forward, who featured for 60 minutes, highlighted the importance of timing and teamwork in navigating a difficult contest against a possession-dominant Barcelona side.

“It was a good result, the performance of the team, especially not to concede here. It shows the work everyone’s been doing and the togetherness,” Lookman told TNTSports after the first leg at the Camp Nou.

“They are a top team of course, in situations they put you in. Difficult moments but we dug in together.”

Ahead of the return leg at home, the Nigerian acknowledged the enormous task of protecting their lead.

“It’s going to be a massive challenge, massive game. We know that. Calm heads, for sure. We’ll take each game as it comes.”

Atlético executed their plan with patience, staying compact and waiting for key moments to strike. One such moment came just before half-time when Barcelona were reduced to 10 men following Pau Cubarsí’s red card.

Julián Álvarez capitalised with a well-taken free-kick to give Atlético the lead before the break, while Alexander Sørloth added a second-half goal after coming on for Lookman to seal the advantage.

A positive result in the return leg will see Atlético progress to the semi-finals, where they will face either Arsenal FC or Sporting CP, with the Premier League side holding a 2-0 first-leg advantage in Lisbon.

Historically, Atlético have enjoyed success against Barcelona at this stage of the competition, eliminating them in the quarter-finals of the 2013/14 and 2015/16 seasons, before going on to reach the final on both occasions, where they were beaten by Real Madrid.