Leicester City

Leicester City booked their spot in the quarter final of the Europa Conference League despite a 2-1 defeat at Rennes on Thursday evening.

Wesley Fofana nodded home at the start of the second half, scoring in his first match of the season. Rennes got one goal in each period, but it was not enough ...

The shots and shots on target were roughly even, and Leicester were the better side for much of the match. On the other hand, losing both Albrighton and Ndidi to injuries will ensure that the manager will have the wrong sort of selection headaches for weeks to come. There were again shouts for a penalty when Vestergaard was flat on his back and the ball struck his arm against his side, but the referee again got it right and nothing was given. KDH’s back was turned, he was in the air, and knew nothing about it, but there’s a reasonable chance that had VAR been in play, that one would have been given. The hosts won a free kick in the City half in the 98th minute. The hosts found a lifeline with a quarter-hour to play. Fofana rose highest and glanced it off the far post and into the back of the net. He looked certain to score, but Les Rouge et Noir keeper Dogan Alemdar was in the right place to block the close-range effort and put it out for a corner. He took it himself, cleverly playing it on the ground to Lookman, who turned it towards goal. City failed to clear their lines and saw the ball recovered when a Rennes came together with Albrighton and won the ball. The Foxes took a two-goal lead into the tie, but it was cut in half in less than ten minutes. Dewsbury-Hall won the ball in midfield and managed to slot it to Iheanacho in spite of a Rennes player reaching over his shoulders with both hands.

Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman are through to the quarter-final with Leicester City | Pulse Nigeria.

With the Foxes under immense pressure, Lookman was subbed off five minutes after Leicester conceded the second goal with defender Ricardo Pereira brought on by Brendan Rodgers in a bid to shore up the defense. The home side started on a positive note and took an early lead when Benjamin Bourigeaud tucked home the opening goal from a superb Martin Terrier in the 8th minute. The Super Eagles trio of Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Ademola Lookman played their part to help Leicester City book a spot in the Europa Conference League quarter-final.

How we scored the Leicester City players as they lost 2-1 in Rennes but won 3-2 on aggregate to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League on ...

Harvey Barnes: Given the space he was afforded and the form he is in, more may have been expected of Barnes. He did have City’s best chance of the first half, his effort blocked and then saved, and he showed flashes of directness and pace in the second period. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: He showed great composure in defensive areas to dribble the ball out under pressure and bring breaks to the bombardments from the hosts. Youri Tielemans: He was not quick enough when on the ball, and there were a few poor decisions in terms of shot selection, trying his luck when he would have been better to keep possession. Wilfred Ndidi: Even he struggled to cope with Rennes’ speed early on and was left chasing shadows, but he did improve in the second half to leave his mark on the match. He was caught on the ball a few times by Rennes’ intensity, and went long with the ball too often. But defensively, he pulled out of position for Rennes’ first goal, and then was beaten too easily for the second.