Marc Albrighton strikes to put Leicester in control against wasteful Rennes
Leicester have the upper hand against Rennes after the first leg of their Europa Conference League last-16 tie as goals from Marc Albrighton and Kelechi Iheanacho secured a 2-0 win.
Albrighton put the hosts in front in emphatic style on the half-hour mark, cracking the ball home from Harvey Barnes’s tee-up.
The substitute Iheanacho then added a fine stoppage-time finish to secure Brendan Rodgers’s side a twogoal lead to take into next Thursday’s second leg in France.
Rennes had notable chances but were unable to make the most of them, while Kasper Schmeichel made a good save to keep out a Martin Terrier shot with about 15 minutes to go to. Leicester struggled to find rhythm in the early stages as Rennes made the better start, with Gaëtan Laborde hitting a third-minute shot narrowly wide.
Benjamin Bourigeaud subsequently failed to take a decent opportunity in the 20th minute, sending the ball across the face of Leicester’s goal. The home side then won a free-kick just in a dangerous position that Youri Tielemans fired into the wall, and as they looked to apply further pressure, Wilfred Ndidi headed a corner wide.
Four minutes later, they had the lead after Barnes burst down the left, got around his man, cut the ball back and Albrighton lashed it into the roof of the net from the edge of the box. Rennes had a chance to level just before the interval but Jonas Martin could not keep his shot down.
Eight minutes into the second half there were penalty appeals from the visitors that proved in vain when Nayef Aguerd’s shot struck Caglar Soyuncu, with the referee Orel Grinfeld unmoved and VAR not in use.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall brought a save out of Alfred Gomis at the other end, before sending a further shot offtarget. The midfielder then saw another strike blocked after Leicester broke forward on the counterattack in the 68th minute.
Schmeichel was called into action in the 74th minute, doing well as he stuck out a boot to keep out Terrier’s shot, before the Rennes substitute Flavien Tait sent an effort wide of a post five minutes later.
The Ligue 1 outfit were unable to muster much further, and Iheanacho then doubled Leicester’s advantage in time added on with a curling finish into the corner.