SOYUNCU COMEBACK LASTS A LIMP 15 MINUTES

Leicester

CAGLAR SOYUNCU limped off just 15 minutes into this comeback game last night to leave Leicester hoping he will not need surgery on a groin injury.

The centre-back had been sidelined for eight weeks with a torn abductor muscle and will be assessed by medical staff today.

“Obviously it’s a recurrence,” said Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers. “He overstretched and felt a bit of a twinge. It’s very frustrating. He’s been training for a long time. It was the right time to bring him back.”

Rodgers took the opportunity to leave some of his big names at home for the trip to Ukraine and welcome back key players from injury as Leicester went out to win the group to be seeded for the knockout stages.

Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi returned along with Soyuncu (right) but the Turkey defender’s joy was short-lived. Pereira, out for eight months, did not appear for the second half and Ndidi was replaced after 55 minutes but both changes were precautionary. Allahyar Sayyadmanesh grabbed the only goal of the game in the 84th minute to give Zorya Luhansk a win Rodgers felt was undeserved. But Leicester paid the price for missed chances. “We looked the side most likely to score in the second half and their goal was against the run of play,” he said.

The visitors should have had something late on. Wesley Fofana could have done better when he put a header wide and Zorya keeper Nikola Vasilij made a great save to deny Cengiz Under.

The home side had chances too. Stand-in Foxes keeper Danny Ward kept out long-range efforts from Vladyslav Kochergin and Andrejs Ciganiks, while Vladlen Yurchenko hit the bar with a header.