Agony for Rodgers as Leicester crash out
BRENDAN RODGERS suffered a night of agony after defeat at Napoli and a late missed penalty in Poland dumped Leicester into the wasteland of the Conference League.
There will be no glamour tie with Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund for Covid-hit Leicester after this loss ended their hopes of advancing in the Europa League, with the Foxes betrayed again by awful defending.
And yet they might still have got away with it. In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Legia Warsaw forward Tomas Pekhart missed a penalty against Spartak Moscow that would have made it 1-1 and sent Leicester through in second place in Group C.
‘Our defending has not been good enough,’ said Rodgers, whose side have kept only three clean sheets in 24 games. ‘We lacked determination off the ball to stop them scoring.
‘When you are conceding like we have been a bit of panic sets in. You have to defend well as you can’t score three or four goals a game.’
On the events in Warsaw, Rodgers said: ‘When I found out, I had to be picked up off the floor. But it doesn’t matter. You have to do your own job.’
Needing only a draw against an under-strength Serie A side, Leicester fell behind to goals from Adam Ounas and Elif Elmas. They showed superb character to draw level by half-time, with Jonny Evans and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on target, yet Elmas’s second consigned them to Europe’s third tier in the new year. James Maddison missed a glorious chance just after Elmas’s second and was inconsolable at full-time.
Leicester wasted chances to wrap up qualification before now and here they were without seven players amid an outbreak of Covid-19. Yet Napoli were missing several players too, including star forward Victor Osimhen.
In front of only 13,000 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, and against a backdrop of thunder, lightning and regular downpours, Leicester picked a strong team, with Jamie Vardy starting his first game in the competition this term. But Napoli took the lead in the fourth minute. Piotr Zielinski robbed Youri Tielemans and fed Ounas, who found the corner through Caglar Soyuncu’s legs. Then Zielinksi released Andrea Petagna, who squared for Elmas to tap in.
Leicester responded quickly, as Maddison’s free-kick was not cleared and Evans drove in the loose ball. Then they were level six minutes later when a clearance from another Maddison free-kick was weak and DewsburyHall volleyed in from 20 yards.
Napoli regained the lead when Zielinski sent Kevin Malcuit racing clear, and when Giovanni Di Lorenzo crossed, Elmas struck again.
Maddison should have replied when Di Lorenzo presented him with the ball yet he could only hit the post.
Leicester pushed for an equaliser but Dewsbury-Hall lost his footing from close range and Vardy headed over. Those errors were the perfect metaphor for Leicester’s campaign. LEICESTER (4-3-3): Schmeichel 6; Castagne 6, Evans 6.5, Soyuncu 6, Bertrand 4.5; Tielemans 5.5 (Soumare 77min), Ndidi 6, DEWSBURY-HALL 7 (Albrighton 89); Maddison 6, Vardy 6.5, Barnes 6.5 (Daka 72, 6). Evans 27, Dewsbury-Hall 33.
Brendan Rodgers 6.