Full-time: Porto 5-0 Leicester
The best that can be said about that from a Leicester perspective is that they fulfilled their fixture obligations. The performance was abysmal, as none of the fringe players cast into the starting lineup made any case for further inclusion. Porto are a nifty side and they had it easy today.
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90 min: The ref will insist on playing at least three more minutes.
89 min: Dortmund have come back from 2-0 down in the Berneabu. If the score there stays at 2-2, Leicester could draw Real Madrid in the next round ...
88 min: Gray’s looping freekick is headed behind for a corner. Albrighton delivers an outswinger. Ulloa gets his head to it, then a defender unwittingly plays it back into his path and he slaps a first-time shot ... off the top of the crossbar!
86 min: Herrara floats in a cross from the right. Morgan heads it away.
83 min: So, which of the following potential opponents do you think will dread meeting Leicester in the next round? PSG, Sevilla, Bayern Munich, Leverkusen, Benfica or Borussia Dortmund?
81 min: I’ve just noticed that Rui Pedro replaced Silva while the TV was showing replays off Porto’s fifth goal.
80 min: Leicester improved briefly at the start of the second half but they are back to being a shambles now. Porto look certain to get a sixth goal, at least.
GOAL! Porto 5-0 Leicester (Jota 77)
Leicester are cut apart like amateurs. Chilwel jumps in to try to intercept a pass to Jota, fails to do so, and then is out of position as Jota waltzes through and tucks the ball past the keeper. The English champions are being thrashed.
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Leicester substitution: Here’s Harvey Barnes, making his senior debut two days before his 19th birthday. He replaces Drinkwater, whose knee will be assessed soon, one imagines.
Porto substitution: Ruben Neves and Herrera on, Danilo and Corona off.
72 min: Drinkwater is back on the pitch and moving well, ie chasing Porto players as forlornly as the rest of Leicester’s players. They’ve barely been going through the motions.
70 min: Drinkwater is down injured on half-way. He looks to be in pain after being accidentally caught near the knee by the sole of an opponent’s boot as the Porto player turned away from him. He’s able to walk off the pitch for treatment, so that’s something.
68 min: Tricky run by Gray, between two defenders and into the box. His shot is blocked, but good to see the youngster still full of audacity in a game in which little that he has tried has worked out.
GOAL! Porto 4-0 Leicester (Silva pen 64)
Never a doubt. Silva sends Hamer the wrong way and strokes the ball home. Leicester are one goal away from the universally acknowledged humiliation threshold.
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PENALTY TO PORTO!
Drinkwater is penalised for pulling back Silva as the striker tried to get on the end of a rebound off a shot by Brahimi.
60 min: Leicester’s move of the match! Drinkwater and Gray worked their way down the left with a smart one-two. Then Drinkwater curled a cross with his left into Okazaki, who met it with a header from nine yards, bringing a decent save from the keeper. It transpires that Okazaki was offside, but still, Leicester will take encouragement where they can get it.
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57 min: Corona penalised for tugging back Mendy, who had done well to snuff out an attack.
54 min: Jota turns past Wasilewski with embarrassing ease on the edge of the area - he was far too nimble for the giant Pole. Then he blemmed a good low shot inches past the far post.
53 min: Albrighton has made a difference for Leicester. He’s already delivered a couple of menacing crosses, which is more than Musa did in the whole first half. Leicester, in general, have bucked their ideas up a little. Ranieri obviously dilly-donged them out of their slumber during half-time.
50 min: Gray tries a low curling shot from 25 yards. It rolls a couple of yards wide. “I understand your Danish correspondent Bo Sondergaard’s anger,” writes Alan Gomes. “But really, it’s not like Copenhagen are being robbed here. Porto is probably good enough to beat a full strength side anyway. Also, I watched Copenhagen vs Porto two weeks ago and the Danes were lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw at home. Porto are by far the group’s top club; if Copenhagen wanted to avoid their Europa League destiny, they should have taken more points from the club making a Champions League debut.”
48 min: Better from Leicester! Albrighton makes his first impact of the match, beavering down the right and then delivering a dangerous cross to the near post. Okazaki twists his body and tries to guide a header towards goal, but doesn’t make clean contact.
47 min: Leicester hint at urgency and actually get several players into the opposing half, with the ball. But then Gray tries to spread the play wide to Albrighton and finds only a punter in Row F.
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46 min: “I disagree somewhat with Bo,” announces Anders Vad Bruun. “Not angry at lineup (only logical), but very disappointed in Leicester players not giving a toss. Would expect fringe players to be giving it their all when given the chance on the biggest stage.” It appears Ranieri shares your disappointment: he’s made two changes during the break, replacing Musa and Schlupp with Ulloa and Albrighton.
“A final bitter remark from Copenhagen before we start preparing for the Europa League,” sighs Bo Sondergaard. “Nine CL-points on a fraction of a Premier League-budget isn’t all that bad. And Copenhagen will not get relegated this season. Good luck to Ranieri... And I hope Patrick and the Leicester fans who made the journey to Porto are enjoying the spectacle.” Leicester City, fairytale killers.
Here’s a point of information from Jonathan Maciel Penney, to whom I am grateful. “In Mexico (and here in the USA) Corona is almost always referred to by his nickname: ‘Tecatito’. The reason for this? He came up in Mexico with C.F. Monterrey who has a big sponsorship deal with Tecate beer and they wouldn’t allow him to put Corona on his jersey. So instead he put ‘Tecatito’ on his shirt.” Arf! But he should have put “Teetotalito”. Mind you, Chilwel will probably have a hangover tomorrow just from playing against him.
Half-time: Porto 3-0 Leicester
The score is entirely justified. Porto have totally bossed this against an alarmingly meek Leicester side. No visitors has played well. If Claudio Ranieri wanted evidence of the strength in depth in his squad, he won’t have found it in that half.
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GOAL! Porto 3-0 Leicester (Brahimi 44)
A terrific goal by Porto, but more useless defending from a Leicester viewpoint. Corona dabbed a nice pass through to Periera, who had burst down the right unseen by any defender. He then fired the ball towards the near post, where Brahimi arrived just before the keeper and flicked it into the net with the inside of his foot.
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42 min: Corona makes a menace of himself down the left yet again. Morgan’s heads his cross away at the near post. But only as far as Torres, who attempts a volley from 16 yards. Wide.
39 min: Chilwel booked for pulling down Silva after being spun by the striker. Freekick to Porto 25 yards and central. Telles’ effort is deflected over.
38 min: Drinkwater sends a trademark long pass over the defence. Musa gallops after it, putting pressure on Casillas. But the keeper remains calm and passes his way out of bother.
36 min: Leicester’s defence is in disarray again as Jota runs clear of it and tires to take down a through-ball. His first touch is hefty, however, and takes him too wide. So he turns and feeds it back to Brahimi, who tries to curl it around the retreating Morgan and into the net. But he catches it wrong and slices wide.
33 min: Bo Sondergaard [se earlier] is back and he’s not happy. “Seriously Paul, do you think, its OK for Ranieri to dump the reserves on the pitch for a game in the Champions League?” he asks pointedly. “Never mind the Uefa rule which oblige clubs to ‘field their strongest team throughout the competition’, what about decency?” I don’t mind Schmeichel saving Leicester’s bacon in the games against Copenhagen, he was just playing the game as he best could. Would just wish his manager did the same tonight.”
I refer you to the reply sent by Patrick Boivin’s reply to your previous entry and which I hadn’t got around to publishing. But here it is now: “What tosh! Ranieri can field whatever team he likes; Leicester have already qualified. No point injuring key players. You seem to be labouring under the impression that Leicester should be playing a football tonight for the benefit of Copenhagen, when perhaps Copenhagen themselves should have been doing that hitherto.”
31 min: Casillas takes a goalkick. That’s his first touch. He whacks it downfield. Then goes back to reading his novel.
29 min: Morgan heads a Corona cross clear at the near post. Porto will be back in seconds: they are supremely dominant.
GOAL! Porto 2-0 Leicester (Corona 26)
More lamentable defending but what a cracking finish! A Telles cross from the left sailed all the way over to Corona, who was free about 13 yards out. Chilwel makes a late dash to try to close him down but Corona lashes a volley into the top corner! Leicester deserve to be spanked here.
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24 min: Leicester are playing as if they’d be satisfied with a 1-0 defeat. They’re incredibly passive, sitting as deep as possible and just watching Porto play around in front of them. But the hosts could through them just now, and Silv should have scored. But he skied the ball from 10 yards after a pass from Pereira.
22 min: Corona’s giving Chilwel plenty of problems down the right. After beating the fullback a moment ago he tried to slip a pass through to Brahimi in the box, but Drinkwater intercepted again, and wellied into the stands again.
20 min: Danilo drops a nice pass over the top for Corona to try to reach. But Hamer dashes off his line and gets to it first. He’s another who might have a squeak of getting a regular first-team spot (until Schmeichel returns from injury) because Zieler has been a bit of a Karius so far this season.
18 min: Copenhagen are 2-0 up in Bruges but that’ll only get them through to the last 16 if Leicester get a draw or victory here. Best prepare for the Europa League, lads.
16 min: Corona essays a one-two on half-way with Pereira, but Drinkwater spots their ploy and intervenes, then wellies the ball into the stands.
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13 min: So far not a single Leicester player has impressed. They’ve looked individually and collectively dazed. Porto probably have it tougher against the likes of Tondera and Feirense.
10 min: Corona lashes down the right, leaving Hernandez chasing for the hell of it. The cross is too long. No matter, Porto retrieve the ball and resume building. Eventually they work it wide to Corona again and this time his low cross provokes panic, but Hernandez eventually clears from in front of his goal.
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8 min: Three, four, five ... six passes! That’s Leicester’s first move of the match, and it brought them to within 50 yards of Porto’s goal. As soon as they lost the ball, Porto ripped forward, Wasilewski looked bewildered, and Jota banged a crisp low shot a couple of yards wide from 20 yards.
GOAL! Porto 1-0 Leicester (Silva 6)
It was coming. But what a dreadful way to concede! Silva was allowed to meet a humdrum corner into the box - because Schlupp was more interested in trying to push him than challenge for the ball. From 10 yards the forward nodded the ball into the middle of the goal. Criminally easy.
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5 min: Leicester have slipped immediately into scared hedgehog mode. Porto are dominating possession. And Hamer has just been forced to make his first save, as Brahimi received the ball from a short corner and fired a cross/shot towards the near post.
3 min: The ref stops play for clash of heads between Okazaki and Telles. But no worries, both players clamber to their feet quickly.
2 min: Leicester will get a touch any minute now ...
1 min: Porto kickoff.
Must say, it’s curious how Leicester have got themselves into a situation where they can’t rest Wes Morgan, who turns 33 next month. They don’t have enough centrebacks at the club and that’s something they could do with addressing in January.
The teams make their way on to the pitch. Porto are wearing white shirts with blue stripes. Or are those blue shirts with thick white stripes? Leicester are making things easier: they’re all in red.
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Ranieri, speaking to a man on the telly, has explained his approach to today’s game: “We don’t need a result but this is a great opportunities for players who haven’t played so far. They have a chance to show how they are. It’s a great opportunity to play against a big European team and it’s important for me to see how they go and are they able to do better than the other players? We will be under pressure and I want to see our character, our organisation, how we develop our game and how we suffer. There are a lot of things to see.”
Regarding Mendy he says: “He’s not 100%, he has a little pain in his ankle but I hope he can play for an hour.” That sounds a trifle ominous.
If I were a betting man - which is to say, if I hadn’t already lost this week’s allowance on unsuccessful bets last night - I’d certainly be backing a hefty Porto win here. Three-nil sounds about right. Having said, I’m very much looking forward to seeing Demarai Gray in action fro the start: he’s often been brilliant coming off the bench this season and should have appeared more regularly. I’ll be hoping for him to make that point with a strong performance today.
“This is an email from Denmark,” announces Bo Sondergaard, clearly a man who likes to spell things out. “I was hoping for Ranieri to show the competition some respect and field a decent team. Not so, and Porto should walk this at the expense of Copenhagen. Not worthy!” Well Bo, you can blame one of your compatriots for that. If it hadn’t been for Kasper Schmeichel, Copenhagen would have taken at least four points off Leicester earlier in the group.
A squizz at the benches shows that both team have included teenagers who are expected to develop into special players. Harvey Barnes is an 18-year-old attacking midfielder who has been on Leicester book since he was nine. He helped Leicester reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and is now in his first year in the development squad. Today he makes his step up to the senior team.
Porto’s Rui Pedro, meanwhile, is also 18 and has already made a big impact on his club’s senior team. He made his debut a week ago and then, on Saturday, he scored the winner against Braga with a dextrous finish from a pass by Jota.
Preamble & Teams
Hi there. You might be thinking there’s no point following this match and, if that’s the case, you couldn’t be more wrong. Alright, there are many ways in which you could be more wrong, some of those ways being so wrong that it would be wrong to even discuss them here. But the point is, this match is worth following for any number of reasons, so long as that number is two.
- Porto need to win to be certain of qualifying for the last 16, as Copenhagen could leapfrog them by beating Bruges.
- Claudio Ranieri has tinkered majorly, something he has refrained from doing so far this season despite Leicester’s increasingly awful performances in the Premier League. It could be that he is resting most of his first team because Leicester have already secured first place in this group, but it could also be that he has given the back-up players a mass run-out because he’s desperately hoping for at least a few of them to make cases for regular inclusion. And look, Mendy is back in the starting lineup for the first time since getting injured at the start of the season! He, remember, was bought in the summer as the intended replacement for Ngolo Kanté. And how badly do Leicester need him to fulfil that hope soon? No need to answer that.
Teams:
Porto: Casillas; Pereira, Felipe, Marcano, Telles; Corona, Danilo, Torres, Brahimi; Silva, Jota
Subs: Jose Sa, Boly, Ruben Neves, Evandro, Herrera, Layun, Rui Pedro
Leicester: Hamer; Hernandez, Morgan, Wasilewski, Chilwell; Gray, Mendy, Drinkwater, Schlupp; Okazaki, Musa
Subs: Zieler, Albrighton, Amartey, Simpson, Ulloa, Fuchs, Barnes
Referee: F Zwayer (Germany)
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