Leicester 2 Napoli 2: Foxes pegged back by amazing Victor Osimhen double after Perez and Barnes goals in Europa League
To the Victor the spoils.
Leicester and Napoli may have shared a point apiece but there was only one winner at the King Power last night.
Take a bow Victor Osimhen.
Napoli’s 22-year-old Nigerian striker cruelly killed Leicester’s hopes of getting their Europa League campaign off to a winning start just when the Foxes looked the real deal.
Brendan Rodgers were 2-0 up and sitting pretty after a goal in each half from Ayoze Perez and Harvey Barnes appeared to put them in the driving seat.
However the Italians aren’t the favourites to win the Europa League without good reason.
And they stunned their Premiership opponents with a double whammy from Osimhen as the shattered Foxes ended up with 10 men after Wilfred Ndidi was sent off for a second yellow card offence in stoppage time.
By then Osimhen had broken home hearts just when the finish line was within sight.
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He hauled Napoli back into the tie after 69 minutes when he bundled Jannick Vestergaard aside and lifted the ball over Kasper Schmeichel.
Then three minutes from the end he powered home a header from a Matteo Politano cross.
In fairness it was no more than Napoli deserved after they managed a staggering 22 shots to Leicester’s seven.
But there were shameful scenes at the end when Napoli fans clashed with Leicester supporters and the police moved in.
It was an ugly end to a beautiful night of football.
Leicester have spent the past two seasons knocking on the door of the Champions’ League – only to have it slammed in their face on the final day of the season.
However this opening Group C fixture was as close as Brendan Rodgers could get to finding out how his team would handle Uefa’s blue riband event without actually being there.
Italian giants Napoli have competed in six of the past eight Champions’ League campaigns and arrived at the King Power unbeaten and buoyed by beating Juventus at the weekend.
They touched down in the East Midlands with the extra baggage of being installed as the favourites to win the Europa League – just ahead of Leicester in the betting.
Make no mistake, this opening clash was a Champions’ League clash in all but name – with a different pre-match anthem!
Osimhen powered in an early drive from 20 yards whcih Kasper Schmeichel was content to beat out and Jannick Vestergaard mopped up after him.
But Leicester gave themselves a shake and almost took the lead in their first attack when Ayoze Perez and Patson Daka combined to set up Harvey Barnes at the back post, only for Ospina to defy him with a brave block.
However Leicester took the lead in their next attack to spark bedlam.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s crossfield ball was pounced on by Ryan Bertrand who headed it to Barnes.
The winger played a one-two with Daka then whipped in a wicked cross which Ayoze Perez expertly tucked away with a sidefoot volley, which flew in off Ospina.
It was the Spaniard’s first goal in Europe and his first in 15 games for Leicester.
But Napoli pinned the Fixes back and at half time Rodgers acted decisively, sending on Caglar Soyuncu and Youri Tielemans for Jonny Evans and Perez.
It looked to have paid off just before the hour when Daka rifled a low shot past Ospina from a Tielemans pass.
However as Foxes fans celebrated the Zambians first goal for the club VAR rescued Napoli, by spotting the striker had strayed a fraction offside.
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Spurred on by that setback, Leicester simply dug deeper and bagged a legitimate goal.
Iheanacho threaded a brilliant pass to Barnes who left Malcuit for dead before slamming a low shot beyond Ospina.
However Napoli refused to accept their fate and had the last word through that man Osimhen.
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