Jamie Vardy’s second-half goal is too little, too late as a spirited Leicester City finally exit the Champions League.
Leicester City 1 Atletico Madrid 1 (Aggregate 1-2)
And then there was one…the Premier League’s European aspirations now rest with Manchester United after Leicester could only draw the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with a savvy, if at times rocky, Atletico Madrid.
Jamie Vardy’s second-half equaliser provided a measure of hope as the Foxes, easily subdued in the first half, went back to basics after the break and caused a measure of discomfort to the visitors’ backline.
The difference between the sides, in the end, was quality – Atletico controlled large parts of the tie and took the occasional chances that came their way. Leicester were second-best until all that was left was to give it a go. That they did, with impetus gained by a switch to 3-5-2 after half-time, and the Spaniards bent but never broke under the less than subtle onslaught.
Foxes boss Craig Shakespeare made one change from the first leg. Robert Huth was suspended, so the fit-again Wes Morgan, back after missing five league matches with a back issue, partnered Yohan Benalouane in the centre of the defence.
The Leicester captain’s return should have been welcome news for the 10.9% of Fantasy Premier League managers with him in their squads – only Vardy (14.8%) is owned by more.
But Morgan never looked match-fit and succumbed to a hamstring problem in the second half that threatens to put him straight back on the injured list again.
As for Vardy, he remains the talisman of a team reborn under Shakespeare but still lacking consistent returns from Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian has managed two goals and an assist in the seven league matches since Claudio Ranieri was sacked. Vardy has scored six times and provided three assists over the same period.
That form makes the England striker almost undroppable, although the Foxes’ run-in is a decidedly mixed bag.
They face West Brom, Watford and Bournemouth and have a double Gameweek 37. But that involves Man City away and the visit of a rampant Spurs, while their next match is a trip to an Arsenal side scrapping to keep themselves in the hunt for the Champions League places.
The worry is that, as their place in the Premier League looks safe enough, there will be precious little for the defending champions to play for now their European campaign is finally over.
Shakespeare will know that a strong finish would do wonders for his own ambitions to lead the club on a more permanent basis. Whether that is motivation enough for the players remains to be seen.
In the meantime, Vardy remains the only Leicester asset worthy of consideration but, given the current clamour for the likes of Harry Kane, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Christian Benteke, he has become a casualty of heavy sales.
Vardy lost over 86,000 owners over his past two Gameweeks and has suffered a deficit of 17,000 so far ahead of the weekend deadline.
Team: Schmeichel; Simpson, Benalouane (Chilwell 45), Morgan (Amartey 84) , Fuchs; Mahrez, Ndidi, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Okazaki (Ulloa 45), Vardy.
Subs not used: Zieler, Musa, King, Amartey, Gray.
