Euro dream is still alive
SKIPPER Wes Morgan led from the front as Leicester booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
In a night of high drama at the King Power Stadium, Morgan drew his side level on aggregate midway through the first half.
Marc Albrighton’s left-foot stunner after 54 minutes made it 2-0 on the night against the Spanish Europa League experts.
But the Foxes still needed keeper Kasper Schmeichel to save a penalty, as he had in the first leg, 11 minutes from time before the celebrations could begin
Sevilla had been reduced to 10 men five minutes before Schmeichel’s heroics when Samir Nasri, the midfielder on loan from Manchester City, was sent off for butting Jamie Vardy.
It was frantic near the end as Sevilla searched for the away goal that would have taken the tie into extra-time, but the Foxes clinched their spot in the last eight.
Cheer
All that in Craig Shakespeare’s first match in charge since landing the job until the end of the season.
It was his man-mountain defender Morgan who put a cat among the pigeons when he plundered the 27th-minute goal which put the game on a knife-edge.
Vardy’s late away goal in the 2-1 defeat in Spain had given them cause for cheer but without breaching the Sevilla defences again, it would have counted for nothing.
It suddenly took on huge importance as Leicester assumed pole position in the tie for the first time.
Captain Morgan celebrated by peering through an imaginary telescope in recognition of his famous namesake.
It was far from the prettiest of goals as Leicester capitalised on a free-kick awarded after Vardy had been sent tumbling by Vicente Iborra.
Albrighton stepped over the ball, allowing Riyad Mahrez to whip it across the face of the six-yard box. Sevilla’s keeper Sergio Rico failed to deal with it and Morgan stuck out his right leg to turn it home.
Sevilla had started brightly and Schmeichel, the undisputed hero of the away leg, again thwarted the visitors with an early save from Nasri.
But for Schmeichel’s heroics in Spain, Leicester’s would have been dead and buried, the Danish ace pulling out a string of stops, including that penalty save.
Robert Huth was fortunate none of the officials saw him catch Adil Rami in the face with his arm in the third minute.
But Italian ref Daniele Osato did see Nasri’s hack at Wilfred Ndidi and showed him a yellow card.
In the 53rd minute the game took a dramatic turn when Sevilla, three-time Europa League winners, came within a whisker of equalising – then went further behind.
Schmeichel was beaten all ends up by a long-range left-foot shot from Sergio Escudero which struck the underside of the bar.
Play went straight to the other end and Albrighton rammed a left-foot shot into the net to make it 2-0.
Mahrez’s cross was cleared by Rami but Albrighton controlled it and lashed home his shot.
Then came Nasri’s red card and that penalty save from Schmeichel, awarded after he fouled Vitolo, before the Foxes and their fans could celebrate. LEICESTER (4-4-2): Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez (Amartey 90), Drinkwater, Ndidi, Albrighton; Okazaki (Slimani 64), Vardy. Subs: Zieler, Chilwell, King, Gray, Ulloa. SEVILLA (3-4-2-1): Rico; Mercado (Ferreira 46), Pareja, Rami; Sarabia (Jovetic 46), Iborra, N’Zonzi, Escudero; Vitolo, Nasri; Ben Yedder (Correa 68). Subs: Soria, Kranevitter, Vazquez, Lenglet. Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy).