The 26-year-old former Aston Villa man scored the Foxes’ first goal against Club Brugge, in their first-ever Champions League match, on Wednesday night as the Premier League champions stomped to a 3-0 win. The Foxes earned a solid 2-1 win against Swansea in their last fixture before the global break, however, that result was prefaced with a 2-1 defeat at Hull and a 0-0 draw at home against Arsenal and they were thumped 4-1 at Anfield last weekend.
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The Foxes got their European campaign off to a flying start by crushing Club Brugge 3-0 in midweek, with a home match against Burnley up next for Leicester on Sunday morning AEST.
There was little to suggest they would change after the break as record buy Islam Slimani, making his debut, began to threaten, although he was booked for a needless push on Bjorn Engels which saw the defender substituted with a serious looking shoulder injury. “We started well, and that gives us confidence”. “No fear, we just played our football and let that do the talking”, said England striker Vardy, a constant menace for the bewildered home back line. “Maybe he is very exhausted of listening to dilly-ding, dilly-dong and prefers the Champions League music”.
Reigning PFA Player of the Year Mahrez scored a brace for Leicester, including a sublime first-half free-kick, while Vardy won the penalty which the Algerian dispatched in the second half.
Claudio Ranieri suggests Riyad Mahrez’s performance against Brugge was inspired by the UCL music.
The Belgians could not have been more accommodating hosts for the first step of Leicester’s Champions League odyssey, paying scant attention to the lethal qualities that blew a hole in the Premier League. “If they think about the music I ring my bell”, Ranieri said. “He took the responsibility”.
With Porto and FC Copenhagen playing out a 1-1 draw in the other group match, Leicester can enjoy the feeling of being on top of a table once again. He was a lucky man.
“We have to perform better offensively and defensively if we want to win that kind of game”.
The champions entertain Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.
Taking over from Nigel Pearson, he recognised very quickly that he had every element of a good team in place and after a few half-hearted attempts to change things, he made a decision to leave well enough alone.
“We failed because after two minutes we could have scored and the game was totally different”.
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Burnley manager Sean Dyche pitted his wits against Leicester in the second-tier Championship just three seasons ago, but the Foxes have since gone on to greater glories.
