Soccer

Riyad Mahrez maintains European momentum for Leicester

Foxes continue to put domestic woes behind them on the continent

Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez evades FC Copenhagen’s William Kvist. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters
Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez evades FC Copenhagen’s William Kvist. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters
Stuart James at King Power Stadium
Wed Oct 19 2016 - 16:37

Leicester 1 FC Copenhagen 0

There may be questions to answer when it comes to their domestic form, but everything seems to fall into place for Leicester City when the Champions League anthem is played. Riyad Mahrez has taken to Europe’s premier club competition better than anyone in a Leicester shirt and it was wonderful skill that provided the defining moment. A lovely flick with his heel, after being teed up by Islam Slimani, his Algerian team-mate, took Mahrez’s tally to three in the Champions League.

Kasper Schmeichel came to their rescue in the 90th minute. Andreas Cornelius’s right-footed shot from 12 yards seemed to be arrowing towards the bottom corner only for Schmeichel to stretch out a hand and superbly claw the ball away.

Leicester badly needed a goal to settle them and that breakthrough arrived at just the right time, shortly before the interval. Moving infield, Christian Fuchs found Danny Drinkwater, who shifted the ball on to Jamie Vardy, wide on the left. The England international floated a cross towards the back post, where Slimani climbed highest to head back across goal. Mahrez darted in front of the central defender and expertly steered the ball home on the volley with a brilliant flick from just inside the six-yard box.

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Leicester chances

Mahrez and Slimani were two of four changes made to the Leicester side that lost heavily at Chelsea on Saturday. Andy King and Danny Simpson also came back into the starting XI.

Leicester were fortunate not to concede within minutes of taking the lead. Andreas Cornelius should have equalised in the 44th minute. The striker got away from Robert Huth far too easily but his header flashed narrowly wide. Schmeichel had to be alert to block Federico Santander’s close-range attempt in the opening minutes, Youssef Toutouh’s shot skimmed the roof of the net and at times an alarming alarming amount of space opened up for the Copenhagen full-backs, both of whom liked to get forward.

Leicester started the second half brighter and in search of the goal that would put the game to bed, and Mahrez, their most dangerous player, came close on the hour-mark. Gliding across the penalty area, the winger passed up the chance to play in Slimani and instead drilled a left-footed shot that Erik Johansson blocked. Slimani was unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside, when he dispatched Marc Albrighton’s cross at the second attempt.

Guardian Service