Schmeichel rekindles Leicester fairytale

Steven misfires penalty for Sevilla

AFP, LEICESTER: Kasper Schmeichel pulled off a dramatic late penalty save as Leicester City sank Sevilla 2-0 on Tuesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, after which Claudio Ranieri was sacked as manager, Leicester scored through Wes Morgan and Marc Albrighton before Schmeichel repelled Steven N'Zonzi's spot-kick.
It gave them a 3-2 aggregate win and continued a remarkable turnaround under new manager Craig Shakespeare, who has won three games in a row since stepping up from his role as Ranieri's assistant.
“The players can be immensely proud of themselves,” said Shakespeare. “When we needed Kasper the most, he came up trumps. We deserve to be there. We have just knocked out one of the best teams in Europe in my opinion.”
Unrecognisable in the defence of their miraculous Premier League title, Leicester have found solace in the Champions League and have now won all four of their home matches in the competition.
They also chose a good time to rediscover a bit of defensive solidity -- and good fortune -- having previously gone 12 matches without keeping a clean sheet in all competitions.
Sevilla, winners of the last three Europa Leagues, saw Samir Nasri sent off late on after he was shown an extraordinary second yellow card for aiming a headbutt at Jamie Vardy.
N'Zonzi might yet have taken the game to extra time after Schmeichel was penalised for catching Vitolo after the forward had dinked a shot past him.
But the Dane redeemed himself with a save low to his left, thwarting Sevilla's hopes of reaching the last eight for the first time since 1958.
“I think maybe we lost it on one or two fine details,” said Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli, who was sent to the stands late on. “We didn't manage to finish our chances.”
The back-to-back 3-1 wins against Liverpool and Hull City overseen by Shakespeare had restored Leicester's self-belief and the stadium crackled with anticipation prior to kick-off.
A carpet of blue and white flags greeted the teams, while Leicester's fans unveiled a giant banner of Shakespeare, accompanied by the rousing William Shakespeare quote: “Let slip the dogs of war.”
For all the sound and fury generated by the home support, it was Sevilla who procured the first two sights of goal.

Schmeichel rekindles Leicester fairytale

Steven misfires penalty for Sevilla

AFP, LEICESTER: Kasper Schmeichel pulled off a dramatic late penalty save as Leicester City sank Sevilla 2-0 on Tuesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, after which Claudio Ranieri was sacked as manager, Leicester scored through Wes Morgan and Marc Albrighton before Schmeichel repelled Steven NZonzis spot-kick. It gave them a 3-2 aggregate win and continued a remarkable turnaround under new manager Craig Shakespeare, who has won three games in a row since stepping up from his role as Ranieris assistant. The players can be immensely proud of themselves, said Shakespeare. When we needed Kasper the most, he came up trumps. We deserve to be there. We have just knocked out one of the best teams in Europe in my opinion. Unrecognisable in the defence of their miraculous Premier League title, Leicester have found solace in the Champions League and have now won all four of their home matches in the competition. They also chose a good time to rediscover a bit of defensive solidity -- and good fortune -- having previously gone 12 matches without keeping a clean sheet in all competitions. Sevilla, winners of the last three Europa Leagues, saw Samir Nasri sent off late on after he was shown an extraordinary second yellow card for aiming a headbutt at Jamie Vardy. NZonzi might yet have taken the game to extra time after Schmeichel was penalised for catching Vitolo after the forward had dinked a shot past him. But the Dane redeemed himself with a save low to his left, thwarting Sevillas hopes of reaching the last eight for the first time since 1958. I think maybe we lost it on one or two fine details, said Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli, who was sent to the stands late on. We didnt manage to finish our chances. The back-to-back 3-1 wins against Liverpool and Hull City overseen by Shakespeare had restored Leicesters self-belief and the stadium crackled with anticipation prior to kick-off. A carpet of blue and white flags greeted the teams, while Leicesters fans unveiled a giant banner of Shakespeare, accompanied by the rousing William Shakespeare quote: Let slip the dogs of war. For all the sound and fury generated by the home support, it was Sevilla who procured the first two sights of goal.