Euro nights are back!
But City hit by late blows as 2-0 lead slips
HARVEY Barnes celebrates putting Leicester City 2-0 up in last night’s opening Europa League against Italian giants Napoli - only for it to all go wrong within the next 25 minutes.
Barnes was impressive as he scored one and made one as he played the full 90 minutes for the first time since his return from injury, setting up Ayoze Perez for City’s early opener before slamming the ball past David Ospina just past the hour to seemingly put City on course for three points.
However, a superb goal by Victor Osimhen pulled the Serie A side back into the game five minutes later, and the Nigerian set City’s nerves jangling with another fantastic goal three minutes from the end of normal time.
City were hanging on against a side unbeaten this season, especially when Wilfred Ndidi picked up a second yellow for tugging back his man as Napoli poured forward.
City will be frustrated to have blown the lead, with only the top team automatically progressing from the group, but a point is not a disaster, even if it seemed painful last night.
Barnes, speaking to BT Sport afterwards, said: “After an injury you want to feel like you are getting back, so to get a goal and an assist is personally great, but it’s hard to be too excited about that when you don’t get three points.”
On a night of high drama, after the final whistle, police had to be called in after scuffles broke out between City fans and the few travelling Napoli supporters.