Leicester opened its first Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Belgian champion Club Brugge on Wednesday, with Riyad Mahrez scoring twice.
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Leicester began their maiden adventure in the Champions League with style as they ran out convincing 3-0 victors over Club Brugge in their Group G opener on Wednesday night.
But the Foxes have lost two of their four games in the league, including last week’s 4-1 defeat at Liverpool, as their title defence gets off to a slow start and Ranieri said if they lose focus against the Clarets he would sound the alarm.
“I don’t know if Slimaini is ready for 90 minutes but it’s important for him to understand the spirit of the Premier League”, Ranieri said during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“For us it is very tough to play against teams with very good experience, like Brugge, FC Porto and FC Copenhagen”, Ranieri added in an interview with BBC Radio. “It wasn’t easy. If they’d scored early it would have changed the match”. “It’s the ideal start”, said the Leicester striker.
Vardy’s pace drew the infringements that led to the Mahrez dead-ball double, the first arrowed in beautifully from outside the box, the second from the penalty spot.
The Algerian netted a wonderful free-kick prior to sending home a penalty, both of which were a result of fouls on Jamie Vardy.
The Leicester City fairytale clearly has a few more chapters to come, after this stunning Champions League premiere in Bruges.
So we can take with a shovel full of salt Ranieri’s reflections.
Diaby clipped the post as powderpuff Brugge tried to find a way back but Leicester even had the luxury of giving Vardy, Mahrez and Slimani a rest as Ahmed Musa, Leonardo Ulloa and Demarai Gray replaced them.
“Maybe the music woke up him”.
“He just said “this is what we do”, he’s said his team is going to play with energy. Maybe he was very, very exhausted of listening to dilly ding, dilly dong, maybe he preferred the Champions League music”, said Ranieri, reverting to a classic catchphrase.
“If he hadn’t scored I’d take his neck and crush his neck!” he said. “He was a lucky man!”
The outcome could have been different if Jose Izquierdo has taken a glorious chance after just two minutes to put Brugge ahead, but with only Kasper Schmeichel to beat the striker fluffed his chance.
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It can not be overlooked, however, that Brugge have only won two of their first six matches of the new league season and lack the financial wherewithal to meaningfully compete at the elite-level of the European game.
