FOXES HOLD FIRM
THE first thing that must be said about the goal that won this game is that it was never a penalty. It was, quite definitely, a foul. It was a rash challenge by Marc Albrighton and, for that reason, a silly thing to do.
But it was outside the box and by a reasonable distance. That much was clear to all bar Jonas Eriksson, who pointed to the spot with confidence unmatched by competence.
We have been here before. UEFA have had a disproportionate number of over-promoted Scandinavian officials at the top end of the referees roster for many years and, although Eriksson is far from the worst, his judgment at such a crucial moment was desperately poor.
We talk of referees having to make decisions in split seconds or on the tiniest margins. But many yards away, at the back of the stand, it was hard to find a soul who did not call the foul on Antoine Griezmann as taking place outside the area, in real time.
The Frenchman was travelling, no doubt of that. Atletico Madrid are probably La Liga’s masters of the counter-attack and Griezmann’s high-speed surge came at the end of a ten-minute spell that had marked Leicester’s first dominant period of the game.
Foxes boss Craig Shakespeare certainly expressed his deep displeasure with the spot-kick decision afterwards.
He said: ‘I think it is a disappointing moment, a key moment. The referee has to get that one right. You can’t guess.
‘It is a definite free-kick, but outside the box. Refs have a hard job, but you want the key decisions correct.’
Until the penalty award, Shakespeare’s side had been pegged back by wave after wave of Atletico attacks.
Resilient defending had kept Diego Simeone’s team at bay, but, gradually, Leicester came into their own.
From giving up 80 per cent of possession early on, they had cut Madrid’s levels down to the mid-60s and even offered a threat when Albrighton whipped a ball across the penalty area that flew just past Shinji Okazaki as he reached desperately for a touch.
Yet two minutes later, Leicester were trailing. Griezmann collected the ball and set off at pace down the left, cutting inside at the vital moment as Albrighton switched flanks in a passionate attempt to head off the danger.
He wanted it too much, perhaps, mistiming his interception and clipping Griezmann on his way past as he neared the area.
He was a stride, maybe half that, away when he fell, but Eriksson pointed to the spot.
Bitter protests did nothing as ever, Albrighton was shown a yellow card — rightly — and Griezmann stepped up to capitalise on his own good work. He made no mistake, hitting it to the right of Kasper Schmeichel, very cool, very controlled. It was a lousy break for Leicester, but it is hard to say Atletico’s win was not deserved.
For much of the match, they were different class. Had they not been impatient, shooting from distance when perhaps a more patient approach was required, Leicester could have been in real trouble.
They blocked, they smothered, they worked relentlessly, but they could barely get out of their own half at times, let alone mount an attack.
Shakespeare admitted: ‘I think 1-0, we would have taken that before the game. We came for an away goal, but you saw how good a team Madrid are. The tie is still alive.
‘The message is that, mentally and physically, we have been in a game and have given a good account of ourselves.
‘I have seen enough throughout the squad. We know what we are about at the King Power and know what we need to do.’
Robert Huth’s second half booking means the Leicester defender will be banned for the second leg with Shakespeare facing a major headache.
‘We were always on the tightrope with people like Robert as he is competitive and it was a competitive game,’ added the Foxes manager.