Leicester continue their fairy tale in the Champions League

March 15, 2017 07:16

Schmeichel's brilliance, along with goals from Morgan and Albrighton, helped Leicester beat Sevilla 2-0 in the second leg of the Round of 16. This result brought the 'foxes' into the Champions League quarter-finals in their first appearance with a 3-2 aggregate victory over two matches.

Despite losing the first leg in Spain, Leicester City entered the match with great momentum, with a goal to spare. The reigning Premier League champions organized a pressing style of play right after the opening whistle with the intention of taking the lead against Sevilla.

On the other side of the battle line, the Andalusian team also did not hide their intention to play fair with the King Power team.

It was Sevilla who created the first danger of the match when Nasri broke free from Pablo Sarabia's fine pass into the penalty area, beating Wes Morgan before unleashing a powerful shot from a tight angle that forced Kasper Schmeichel into a save.

Pha ghi bàn mở tỷ số may mắn của Morgan cho Leicester
Morgan's lucky opener for Leicester.

This situation seemed to help the "foxes" wake up and immediately respond strongly to the visitors. From a free kick on the left wing in the 26th minute, Mahrez sent a very uncomfortable ball into the penalty area and captain Wes Morgan rushed in and used his knee to knock the ball into the net from close range.

Not long after, striker Ben Yedder made Leicester fans scream with a tricky shot, forcing Schmeichel to show his talent for the second time.

At the end of the first half, the match speed was pushed up, the ball was continuously poured towards the goals of both teams but not many good situations were created.

After the break, the La Liga representative pushed up their squad to launch a series of attacks in search of an equalizer to open up the opportunity to continue in Europe's most prestigious arena.

In the 53rd minute, Escudero swung his leg to fire a long-range shot, defeating the son of Man Utd legend Peter Schmeichel but unfortunately was denied by the crossbar.

With no equalizer, Sevilla were hit back in the 54th minute. Mahrez was still stirring up the right wing before crossing inside and Rami headed the ball away but accidentally sent it to Albrighton. The No. 11 midfielder calmly controlled it before unleashing a left-footed shot that left goalkeeper Rico rooted to the spot.

Undaunted by the second goal, coach Jorge Sampaoli's players attacked even more fiercely. However, when Sevilla were pressing the home team, they were suddenly forced to play with one less player from the 74th minute after Samir Nasri received a second yellow card and a red card for a collision with Vardy.

The drama continued when Sevilla were awarded a penalty in the 80th minute after Kasper Schmeichel fouled Vitolo in the box. On the 11m mark, Kasper Schmeichel made amends with a brilliant save from N'Zonzi's finish. Present in the stands at the King Power Stadium, Man Utd legend - Peter Schmeichel was extremely excited with his son's performance.

In the first leg in Spain, Kasper Schmeichel also successfully blocked a penalty taken by Joaquín Correa.

Leicester fans would not have had to live in the final minutes of the match anxiously and nervously if Vardy had not missed a delicious opportunity in the 86th minute to end the match early.

However, beating Sevilla 2-0 in the second leg was enough for Leicester to continue their fairy tale of reaching the quarter-finals in their first Champions League appearance, with a 3-2 aggregate victory after two matches.

Score:Morgan (26'), Marc Albrighton (54').

Line-up:

Leicester:Schmeichel; Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs; Albrighton, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Mahrez; Okazaki (Slimani 63'), Vardy.

Sevilla:Rico, Pareja, Rami, Mercado (Mariano 46'), Escudero, Sarabia (Jovetic 46'), Iborra, N'Zonzi, Nasri, Vitolo, Ben Yedder (Joaquín Correa 68')

Red card:Nasri (74')

According to Vietnamnet

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