April 14, (THEWILL) – Leicester came from behind to beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 and move to within two wins away from being the first club to win the Europa Conference League after breaking grounds by winning the Premier League in 2016 and the FA Cup last year.
The Conference League was only introduced at the beginning of this season, and Leicester is in it since they were eliminated from the Europa League – but none of the 1,600 supporters who witnessed a fantastic second-half display against PSV Eindhoven had that in mind.
Leicester were down at the break, thanks to Youri Tielemans’ error, which allowed Eran Zahavi to score, and they squandered chances before James Maddison levelled with 13 minutes remaining, and then Pereira scored in the 88th minute.
Brendan Rodgers’ tactical alterations were spot on, while Wesley Fofana put in another outstanding performance at the back. Due to an injury to talented English winger Noni Madueke, Leicester started with the same XI that started the first leg last week.
In the 14th minute, Philip Max crossed for Mario Gotze, who unleashed a lovely far-post volley that Kasper Schmeichel turned over brilliantly.
Leicester should have seized the lead two minutes later. Harvey Barnes raced clear after a beautiful return pass from Kelechi Iheanacho, but the winger slipped his effort beyond the post with only goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo to beat. Barnes could have given Maddison a tap-in if he had glanced up.
That miss was followed by a period of domination by PSV, which culminated in the opening goal. Max was denied by Wesley Fofana’s block, and Schmeichel sent Mauro Junior’s shot behind him before Tielemans’ mistake gave them the lead.
Tielemans failed to notice Gotze lurking behind him as he attempted to play a basic pass to Jonny Evans. Zahavi’s angled attempt beat Schmeichel and sneaked into the far corner after the German slipped the ball outside him.
Rodgers’ charges did not let their heads fall. Maddison’s attempt clipped Andre Ramalho and floated over Mvogo just after the half-hour mark, forcing Jordan Teze into a spectacular overhead clearance on the goalline. Timothy Castagne was picked out by Tielemans’ superb pass, but the Belgian headed wide from close range.
Brendan Rodgers made two changes at halftime, replacing Barnes and Marc Albrighton with Patson Daka and Ademola Lookman.
PSV, on the other hand, were the first to threaten another Tielemans gaffe. This time, Cody Gakpo intercepted the errant pass and chose to shoot instead of releasing Zahavi. Ramalho then flicked on Gakpo’s corner, while Joey Veerman’s low shot from 25 yards struck Wesley Fofana and sailed just wide.
Lookman had made a difference on the left for Leicester, and the temporary adjustment to 4-4-2 created opportunities. Teze’s recovery challenge may have thrown Daka off his stride as he grabbed a fantastic volleyed pass from Iheanacho and shot inches wide.
Maddison attempted for the corner from the edge of the box, but Mvogo stretched to push it behind him.
PSV knew a goal would seal the deal at this point, and the excellent Ibrahim Sangare should have delivered it. With 17 minutes left, the midfielder raced into the box and somehow shot over, much to the amazement of the home crowd.
When Maddison equalised in the 77th minute, they felt even worse. Ayoze Perez, who had not played since February, shone inside the box, dancing past Ramalho before sliding the ball back to Maddison, who smashed the ball into the top of the net from 10 yards.
Maddison made the mistake of putting his hand to his ear while celebrating in front of the PSV fans, who retaliated by throwing bottles at the celebrating Leicester players. The restart was then postponed, perhaps due to something else being thrown into the field near the dugouts.
Leicester were closing in on a goal, and Mvogo had to make a fantastic save to prevent Perez from converting Lookman’s cross at the near post, when play restarted.
The Foxes then took the lead with three minutes remaining. Once again, Maddison and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall combined to liberate Lookman down the left flank. Lookman’s cut-back found Daka, and despite Mvogo’s save, the ball fell nicely for Pereira to ram home.
The champions of this competition will be eligible to compete in the Europa League the following season. Leicester can hope it is them.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
