Final fantasy another stirring chapter in Foxes’ tale
LONDON — Youri Tielemans was preparing for the FA Cup final on Saturday when he received a text message with a clear instruction: Aim for the top corner.
When the ball landed at the Leicester midfielder’s feet, 63 minutes into the 140th final, a powerful shot from 30 meters was aimed just where he had been advised.
It was a sensational way to win the FA Cup for the first time in the Foxes’ 137-year history, 1-0 against Champions League finalist and prematch favorite Chelsea.
Even sweeter than the strike was Leicester being able to celebrate in front of its own fans as Wembley Stadium hosted England’s biggest crowd — more than 20,000 who tested negative for the coronavirus — in 14 months.
“Wow, what a finish,” Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said. “I didn’t dare to celebrate because there’s always VAR.”
“I’ve dreamed about this since I was child,” said Schmeichel, whose dad Peter Schmeichel won three FA Cups with Manchester United.
“We have talked about wanting to win trophies. The performance today, the grit and determination, I’m so proud of everybody, everybody contributed to get to the final. Everyone has played and been sensational.”
The Foxes were indebted to a marginal VAR call in the 89th minute, which saved Wes Morgan from a moment of heartache.
The 37-year-old club captain had been on the pitch for only seven minutes when he accidentally deflected in former teammate Ben Chilwell’s cross. But one of those desperately close offside calls that so irritate players and fans was detected and the roars of Leicester fans were even louder than the moment Tielemans scored.
After losing four finals — the first in 1949 at the old Wembley — Leicester’s name is finally etched onto the cup of world soccer’s oldest competition. The team from the English Midlands is a champion again, five years after Morgan collected the Premier League trophy.
Players — such as Chilwell and N’Golo Kante to Chelsea — have left since that improbable 5,000-1 title triumph, but Morgan and matchday captain Schmeichel are still there to celebrate again, this time in a moment tinged with sadness.
Inside the jerseys at Wembley were photos of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the club’s Thai owner until he died in 2018 when his helicopter crashed in flames next to King Power Stadium.
“He is always with us, Khun Vichai,” said Schmeichel before handing the FA Cup on the field to Vichai’s son, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who now runs the club.
Also in tribute to Vichai was a banner covering seats in the closed third tier at Wembley, with his quote, “Our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
In a game of few chances, Thiago Silva’s slack pass allowed Leicester to score. Ayoze Perez intercepted the clearance and Luke Thomas passed across to the unmarked Tielemans to drive forward before striking past goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
For once, Leicester wasn’t relying on goals from Jamie Vardy, whose tireless work across the pitch was still influential.
Saves from Schmeichel as much as VAR helped to preserve the lead; he used one hand to push Chilwell’s shot onto the post in the 78th minute and blocked Mason Mount’s volley in the 87 th.
“The performance today — the grit and determination — I’m so proud of everyone,” Schmeichel said
It’s far from season over for Leicester. There’s another match against Chelsea to come on Tuesday which could clinch Champions League qualification for the second time ever.
Sitting third, Leicester holds a two-point lead over Chelsea.
“Today we enjoy, and tomorrow we dust ourselves down and can’t really think about this anymore,” Schmeichel said. “Chelsea are a topclass side and are going to want revenge.”
The west London club has now lost consecutive FA Cup finals, with Thomas Tuchel failing just as Frank Lampard did. But Tuchel can still win the biggest prize in club soccer against Manchester City in the Champions League final on May 29 in Porto.
“We are disappointed and not angry with our performance,” Tuchel said.
Chelsea was a key early stop in Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers’ coaching career, with the Blues’ youth team around 15 years ago. While Rodgers has won trophies in Scotland with Celtic, he fell short in the English game with Watford, Swansea and Liverpool until Saturday. Now, for the first time since Harry Redknapp with Portsmouth in 2008, a British manager has picked up the FA Cup.
“The success of this team and club is getting to positions like this and competing,” Rodgers said. “The so-called bigger clubs are expected to win but our success is competing and if we can perform like today we can go and win. What a day for everyone involved with Leicester.”