Centre-forward Jamie Vardy did not score and missed an excellent chance but epitomised Leicester’s spirit, including goading Samir Nasri into a red cardTowards the end of a relentless, slightly hysterical night at the King Power Stadium Jamie Vardy could be seen punching himself repeatedly in the face. It seemed in the moment absolutely fine; all things considered entirely the right thing to do. He had just scampered 40 yards in pursuit of Riyad Mahrez before whumping his cutback miles over the bar with the goal gaping.Leicester were leading 2-0 at the time. A cool finish would have killed the tie. This was instead a crazed, dementedly adrenal finish. But still the only kind of finish Vardy was ever likely to...
Before Jamie Vardy’s first-leg goal they seemed down and out but Craig Shakespeare’s side now look equipped to give their opponents a proper gameOn the face of it not much has changed. In fact the Leicester team who start against Sevilla at home will probably show only one difference from the XI who lined up in Spain, with Shinji Okazaki picked ahead of Ahmed Musa. There is, however, a new manager in the home dugout and Leicester have been transformed as a result. Whether that is down to the players wanting to prove a point post‑Claudio Ranieri, or Shakespeare making one of his own with small but significant team and tactical alterations, is a matter of debate, but there is no doubt...
The pod squad look back on a unique night at the Camp Nou. Plus, Arsène Wenger’s days look numbered as Arsenal are humiliated by Bayern MunichSubscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & Stitcher. And join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.On today’s Football Weekly, AC Jimbo is joined by Barry Glendenning, Michael Cox and James Horncastle to look back on a remarkable week in the Champions League. Barcelona pulled off quite possibly the most spectacular Champions League comeback of all time against PSG, while Arsenal – to no one’s great surprise – collapsed 5-1 again at home to Bayern Munich. Plus ça change, Arsène, plus c’est la même chose. Continue reading...
By selecting Thiago Silva ahead of Presnel Kimpembe at centre-half the coach abandoned the meritocracy which was bringing progress at PSG and has lost more than just an extraordinary Champions League tie as a result“The return of winter.” “The Parisian wreck.” “Unspeakable.” “A huge mess.” “The height of disillusionment.” The Parisian papers and France’s leading sports dailies were unsparing in their assessment of Paris Saint-Germain’s incredible 6-1 defeat by Barcelona. Conceding three goals in the final 10 minutes was a dismal end to the French side’s Champions League campaign, but to do it having secured a seemingly insurmountable first-leg lead was indeed unspeakable.Losing by that margin alone was painful, but doubly so after how the visitors had come back into...
The Brazilian has been criticised for a lack of goals but against PSG he led from the front, culminating in seven minutes and 17 seconds in which he won the tie“As long as there’s a 1% chance, we’ll have 99% faith,” Neymar wrote in the aftermath of Barcelona’s 4-0 destruction in Paris – but by the time he stood over the ball the odds didn’t even look that good. They didn’t to everyone else, anyway. 1%? If only. Their first comeback had failed, crushed by Edinson Cavani; the second had barely started and was surely beyond them now: Paris Saint‑Germain’s away goal had left them needing three goals in 30 minutes and 27 of them had passed. Related: Luis Enrique:...