Leicester book historic semi-final spot as late fightback floors PSV Eindhoven
As Brendan Rodgers put it, Leicester City’s 1,600 supporters were up in the clouds, housed high in a caged corner of this arena, but in some ways they had the best vantage point to watch their team reach a first European semifinal after recording a stunning comeback victory.
The travelling fans had spent the afternoon mingling with the club’s top brass, the chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha among those taking in the atmosphere in Markt Eindhoven, one of the city’s main squares, and, once they shake off the hangovers from the afterparty, they will begin to plot another adventure, with José Mourinho’s Roma waiting in the last four of the Europa Conference League.
James Maddison’s equaliser fuelled Leicester’s belief and Ricardo Pereira prodded in at the back post after the substitute Patson Daka, who earlier spurned a golden chance to level, was denied.
Maddison had displayed a determination to deliver, his appetite clear when he wriggled between Érick Gutiérrez and André Ramalho to carve an early opening and he sourced Leicester a lifeline on which to build after they fell behind to Eran Zahavi’s first-half strike, whose finish into the far pocket of Kasper Schmeichel’s goal from an awkward angle, via Jonny Evans, was akin to a snooker pot.
A PSV supporter launched his beer towards Maddison as the midfielder was mobbed by his teammates and then Pereira sealed victory with two minutes to spare. It was a no-frills finish at the end of a well-worked move, the impressive Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall releasing Ademola Lookman, who picked out Daka inside the box.
PSV would have taken the lead earlier had Schmeichel not got a strong right hand to a thunderous Mario Götze volley, but for so long it seemed the gnawing thing for Leicester would be their failure to take their chances. Harvey Barnes ignored an unmarked Maddison to his right and placed a shot wide before PSV punished a Youri Tielemans lapse on 27 minutes and Daka fired wide after racing through one on one with the goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo midway through the second half.
For the first, Kelechi Iheanacho played a superb reverse pass from inside his own half to free Barnes but the winger, seemingly blinkered, went it alone. Rodgers dragged his fingers down his face and Maddison was equally unimpressed. Daka’s miss after latching on to another fine Iheanacho pass was even more agonising.
Zahavi’s goal stirred the home crowd, who offered PSV a rousing reception despite defeat at full-time, but Leicester continued to create chances, with Maddison twice going close. His deflected shot was hooked off the line by Jordan Teze and he flashed over from inside the box after cutting inside Gutiérrez approaching the interval after Timothy Castagne, meeting Tielemans’ scooped cross, headed wide at the back post
The break provided a chance for a rallying call. “For us it was a case of ‘there are no second chances,’” Schmeichel said. “You don’t get another chance. At least if you’re going to go out, go out fighting and give it everything. We are a young club when it comes to European football and we were up against what you would probably call a juggernaut of European football. To come away from home, make it difficult [for ourselves], and then still dig in and get the result in the end is a sign of a top mentality.”
Rodgers said he maps out possible scripts in his mind before a game and this one ultimately provided a beautiful late twist. After the final whistle, he punched the air and his players went over to rejoice with their supporters, who banged on the plastic barriers in front of them. Srivaddhanaprabha, alongside his brother and vice-chairman, cut an equally delighted figure. “It is always great to see [the chairman, Khun] Top,” said the Leicester manager, whose side return to Premier League action at Newcastle on Sunday. “He is an amazing owner for us.”
Leicester were aided by the halftime arrivals of Lookman and Daka but it was Maddison who continued to dictate the pace. Another substitute, Ayoze Pérez, starred, and it was from his clever run and cutback at the byline that Maddison swept in to level 13 minutes from time. Pérez went close to scoring from a Lookman cross, flicking at goal to force a sprawling save from Mvogo, but five minutes later Pereira applied the finishing touch.
“We keep making history and there is always a new chapter to be written,” Schmeichel said. “We’ve always said with the mentality we have: ‘Why not us?’ We have a big belief in our ability, in the direction the club is going.”