Leicester were beaten 2-1 by Sevilla in the first leg of their last-16
Champions League clash on Wednesday, but were given hope by Jamie
Vardy's away goal.
Pablo Sarabia gave the home side a deserved lead in the 25th
minute when he powered a header in off the far post, before Joaquin
Correa doubled the advantage in the 62nd minute.
Correa also saw a
penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel in a one-sided first half, while
Vitolo and Adil Rami both hit the woodwork after the breakBut Vardy pulled one back for the visitors with their first real foray
into the opposition box 17 minutes from time after Danny Drinkwater's
superb assist, as Leicester managed to survive an onslaught and escape
with only a one-goal deficit.The goal - Vardy's first in the Champions League - gives the Foxes a
lifeline ahead of the return leg at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday,
March 14.
The Foxes, who are currently one point above
the Premier
League relegation zone having failed to score a league goal in 2017,
made 10 changes from the starting XI that lost to Millwall in the FA Cup
at the weekend, as Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, Schmeichel and Drinkwater
returned.
Sevilla started on the front foot with Schmeichel given
an early scare in the fourth minute after Sarabia cut inside and fired
narrowly over the crossbar from 25 yards.
The hosts - third in La
Liga - had an even better opportunity to open the scoring in the 14th
minute when Leicester captain Wes Morgan brought down Correa in the box,
but his subsequent penalty was saved by Schmeichel low to his right.
The
breakthrough eventually arrived with an unstoppable header from Sarabia
in the 25th minute, powering in at the back post from Sergio Escudero's
left-wing cross.
The visitors survived another scare just moments later, as Samir
Nasri sent a sumptuous disguised pass beyond Leicester's offside trap
only for Vitolo to stump the foot of the post and see the ball trickle
along the goal line.
Sarabia then dragged an effort wide shortly
afterwards, but Leicester finally woke up just shy of the hour mark
after Ranieri sent on Demarai Gray for the ineffective Ahmed Musa and
the substitute's endeavour enabled Drinkwater to strike wide courtesy of
a deflection.
Sevilla, though, doubled their advantage when
Morgan and Huth were caught out by a routine ball over the top and
former Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic squared to Correa, who
finished with aplomb via the underside of the crossbar.
Although
Leicester had been outplayed, they grabbed a route back into the tie
through their first meaningful attack, as Gray found Drinkwater down the
left-hand side and the midfielder played a perfectly-weighted pass
across goal for Vardy to finish.
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