IT’S ATLETICO FOR LEICESTER
...and they’ve been there before
LEICESTER CITY were yesterday handed Atletico Madrid as their Champions League last-eight assignment, bringing back memories of a controversial UEFA Cup meeting from 20 years ago.
Vengeance was the word on the lips of Leicester supporters thinking of the tie from 1997 that left manager Martin O’Neill seething at a series of highly debatable refereeing decisions.
Craig Shakespeare said his team would ‘give everything to progress’ after England’s last remaining representatives were paired with Diego Simeone’s side.
But Shakespeare immediately told his players to concentrate on the task of securing Premier League safety with today’s trip to West Ham followed by games against Stoke, Sunderland and Everton before the first leg at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on April 12.
Leicester avoided one of Europe’s traditional powerhouses in Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, but will still come up against a team steeped in recent Champions League experience.
Atletico have twice gone agonisingly close to winning the competition in the past three years, both times being denied by their rivals Real in the final, first through an injury-time equaliser and last year on penalties.
‘Facing a team who have reached the final in two of the last three seasons is a massive challenge but it’s just the kind of tie you expect in the quarter-finals of the Champions League,’ said Shakespeare.
‘Atletico Madrid are a very good team with some fantastic individuals with experience in the competition, but we’ll be ready to give everything to progress.
‘It will be a brilliant occasion for our supporters and for everyone at the club, but before the players can begin to think about these games, we have Premier League matches to come that are of huge significance to our season. They will be our sole focus.’ This is the third occasion in four European campaigns that Leicester will face Atletico, having first done so in the opening round of the 196162 Cup-Winners’ Cup. The Spanish side won 3-1 on aggregate. But it is the firstround contest from the 1997-98 UEFA Cup that came to mind for Leicester fans who saw their team knocked out 4-1 on aggregate having scored the opening goal of the tie on Spanish soil. Ian Marshall turned home Steve Walsh’s knock-down from close range after 11 minutes and Kasey Keller pulled off a number of good saves until Leicester tired. Juninho equalised with a deflected shot and three minutes later, Steve Guppy tripped Delfi Geli in the area. After a brief altercation between the two sets of players, Christian Vieri converted the penalty.
With an away goal Leicester still fancied their chances at Filbert Street a fortnight later. So much so that Marshall was photographed eating a dish of paella in the stands ahead of the game, the picture making its way on to the front cover of the match programme. A cagey game simmered over when Juan Lopez was sent off near the hour mark for a heavy foul on Emile Heskey, but Leicester’s fury erupted when Garry Parker, already on a booking, took a free-kick too quickly and was shown another yellow.
Atletico duly exploited the extra space to score through Juninho and Kiko. O’Neill fumed at referee Remi Harrel not only for the red card but also Muzzy Izzet’s three failed penalty claims.
Walsh said yesterday: ‘My initial thoughts were taking me back to 1997. We scored early and the away game is key. We did it in Seville and when we bring them back to the King Power Stadium, the atmosphere will be special. It’s a scary place to come now. We like being the underdogs.’