Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri commended his team’s attitude following their game against Sevilla. Leicester lost 2-1 in their Champions League last-16 tie, but displayed a lot of dedication. A late goal from Jamie Vardy gives the team hope for the second leg.
Sevilla took control of the game early on and had numerous scoring opportunities. Leicester goalie Kasper Schmeichel did well to keep the score down. Schmeichel was even on hand to save a penalty. Despite his best efforts, goals from Pablo Sarabia and Joaquin Correa put the hosts in in a comfortable lead.
With 20 minutes to go, and Sevilla adding pressure, striker Jamie Vardy was on the receiving end of a low cross in the box and brought Leicester one goal back. This was Vardy’s first Champions League goal. It also ended a two month goal drought for the striker. The England international scored 24 times last year, a far cry from this season’s statistics.
Claudio Ranieri spoke about the team’s spirited performance. He praised the team’s attitude and talked about their chances of knocking Sevilla out of the competition.
“We knew they are better than us with high quality,” Ranieri told BT Sport. “They keep possession of the ball, but we suffered. They showed their quality. We showed our big heart, big organisation and belief, we never gave up and I’m very satisfied.”
Leicester City won the Premier League last year in one of the biggest surprises in modern football. This season saw Leicester showing a similar form only a few occasions, such as the 4-2 victory against Manchester City in December.
Currently Leicester are 17th in the League with the relegation threat looming large over the team. Earlier this weekend Millwall knocked them out of the FA Cup. Ranieri’s job security has been the subject of some discussion, but the Italian is showing confidence for the future.
CLAUDIO: “We knew they have high quality, but we showed our big heart. We believed, we never gave up. I’m very satisfied.” #SevLei
— Leicester City (@LCFC) February 22, 2017
“At the end, if we are a little more calm we can do something more on the counter-attack but it was very important for the match at home and everything is open. We suffered but we are ready to do battle. For us it is important to continue to show our performance, to show our football.“
