Leicester City so far
enjoying a one of a kind run in Champions League play, not bad for your first
time as well the expectations of living up another fairy tale of a run in this
prestigious event, is on the works.
Despite seeing an
amazing couple pf performances in their first European top notch event, so far
their Premiership campaign has been a total disaster up to now.
Still for their Boss
Claudio Rainieri there is time and solutions are abundant to fix their league
woes.
Coming up from a horrible
loss at Old Trafford against United, the Foxes were preparing to make another
impacting presentation against Porto FC and looking forward to net a win that
will put this squad on the brink of the knockout stages.
After their first
ever debut in this competition and netting a win over Belgian side Brugges KV
as an away game, the preparations at King Power Stadium were into place and with
the home field advantage, the ball was on for the Boys from City.
For newcomer and top
prized player Leicester City Islam Slimani whom the Foxes top brass paid a
record for this club £28 million, so far the former Sporting Lisbon front man
has delivered with style and in opportune time.
So far, in this
Champions league the Algerian international has been the key for these new squad
victories and his all-around contributions by scoring the game winners in both Champions
League matches.
With today’s match in
festive filled King Power Stadium, showing off its best galas for tonight first
ever Champions League match to be held in its colossus of Filbert Street in Leicestershire,
totally sold out.
Still playing a top
rated Portuguese squad in Porto FC, the outcome looked a bit dim and putting
the local Foxes streak in Champions in peril- that did not bothered their Boss
Claudio Rainieri who was very confident of his initial eleven.
With a couple of
changes in his keeper and defensive spots, Leicester City was sporting a 4-4-2
formation composed in the front of their talisman player Jamie Vardy and Islam
Slimani.
For the visiting Manager
Nuno Espiritu Santo, putting the same formation and sending his best front men
duo in Otavio and Adrian Lopez to cause havoc on their hosts’ backfield and
test all evening long the moves of keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
As the match started
the first ten minutes of play, it was nothing for nobody and a couple of silly
fouls over the locals, as Leicester City with 49 minutes on their account of
having the ball and the visiting Dragons with 51, still the Foxes survived a
near scare.
For the Foxes, their
immediate response was after the Dragons failed play could not generate any
danger for the local’s posts, it is when Christian Fuchs took over the ball and
passing it to Marc Albrighton, this one sent a long ball into an unmarked Ryad
Mahrez.
The Algerian made it
a one two pass into his conational Islam Slimani and once again the Algerian international
became the Dragon Slayer with the first goal of the evening and with 25 minutes
on the clock.
Just like old times
in the Portuguese League.
Still this game was
not completely one sided and for Leicester City taking its full control of it, as
Porto made its moves, time after time, as luck showed no mercy on the Blues and
White squad with shoots of target for the joy of City keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Going to the half,
Leicester City was up 1-0 and coming into the second half Claudio Rainieri and
his Boys were ready to front with his eleven how the Porto Boys were going to
react and looked not only for the equalizer but for the go ahead score as well more
goals.
As the second half
saw a more persistent and dominating Blue and White attack by the visiting
Dragons, kudos for the City defense who never let go and stood its ground despite
the moves and putting to play a couple of his top notch players.
In the 62nd
Porto Boss Nuno Espiritu Santo made some important changes that really became opportune
but came short at the end of this match, as both Jota and Diego Herrera, made a
whole lot of difference in the Dragons attack.
The insistence of
Manager Espiritu Santo was evident and with an act of desperation in the 77th
it is when Jesus Corona came into the match, suddenly the airs of an all-around
offensive attack by the Dragons became very visible in the match.
At the end, despite the
visitor’s second half dominance and looking forward to put a score to at least
even the match, at the end, the wisdom and overzealous defending by the Leicester
City squad became evident and prevailed once again.
After the local Foxes
saw their efforts dismissed with a dominant Porto squad in the second half, these
had their opportunities but as the ones, the Porto 11 displayed and not taken advantage
or we can state it was pure bad luck.
Is this the start of another
Leicester City fairy tale in Champions League?
Post
Contents and Property of Fern Mc Costigan © Copyright All Rights Reserved
Photos Credit and Property of © Associated Newspapers LTD. 2016
Photos
Credit and Property of © Chad Wick, PA, Leicester City -Getty Images, BPI / Kieran
Mc Manus 2016
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