FAB FOXES HAVE A BARNESTORMER
HARVEY BARNES showed exactly why he is catching Gareth Southgate’s eye as Leicester turned on the style last night.
Barnes sprang into action and began tormenting the visitors with his trademark powerful runs, but it took Brendan Rodgers’ men 20 minutes to get the message that Zorya were no pushovers.
Leicester had been having a tricky time of things when they suddenly hit the Ukrainians with a swift 29th-minute counter-attack.
Barnes caused mayhem with a twisting run to the edge of the box, before shifting the ball sideways, and curling a right-foot shot which crashed against the keeper’s left-hand post.
Kelechi Iheanacho pounced on it but couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch. However, the striker battled away and managed to get the ball out of the scrum, leaving James Maddison to clip it home with the outside of his right boot.
Up to that point, the Foxes had been given the odd warning that Zorya were not to be treated lightly, none more so than when Vladyslav Kabayev looked certain to score after being teed-up by Makaym Lunov.
Kabayev was well placed, out at a slight angle, and clear favourite to slam the ball past Kasper Schmeichel from eight yards and put the visitors ahead. But Schmeichel had other ideas and made a brilliant block with his feet.
It was clear from the off that Zorya were technically very neat and tidy for a side ninth of 14 teams in their league, with just one win from their opening six games. Playing away clearly was not going to be a problem to a side who currently play their home games 250 miles away because of conflict in Eastern Ukraine close to the Russian border.
But going behind seemed to knock the stuffing out of them and, within minutes of the opener, Barnes again forced the keeper to save from a stinging left-foot drive.
Then Dennis Praet was only denied when Vitaily Vernydub slid in to make a superb block and send the ball out for a corner.
But the Ukrainians were struggling to hold the Foxes at bay and, a minute before the break, Barnes gave Leicester a second after a cheeky backheel from Iheanacho had sent him away.
Barnes surged through and, when Mykyta Shevchenko tried to put up a barrier, he kept his composure and coolly dinked the ball over him. Iheanacho was finally rewarded for his good work in the 67th minute. Defender Dmytro Ivanisenya played the ball across goal straight to the Foxes striker, and Iheanacho rammed it into the bottom corner from near the penalty spot.