Leicester City and PSV Eindhoven played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final tie at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester started the game strongly, with Kelechi Iheanacho and Harvey Barnes both coming close to opening the scoring in the first half. While Iheanacho fluffed a one-on-one opportunity, Barnes was denied by the post late in the half.
For the visitors, Mario Gotze came the closest to getting a goal. The German ace hit the ball straight at Kasper Schmeichel from a one-on-one situation in just the second minute. The match was not played with as much intensity in the second half, with chances coming few and far between by for both sides.
The result, however, will favour PSV who will play the second leg in front of their home crowd. The Dutch side also maintained their away record for the season, as they remain unbeaten on the road. Brendan Rodgers’s men have their task cut out for the second leg. Here’s how each Leicester player fared in the first leg of the Conference League quarter-final first leg.
Finely poised after the first leg ⚖️#LeiPsv #UECL pic.twitter.com/uMp3yRlcWj
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 7, 2022
Kasper Schmeichel: 7/10
The Danish goalkeeper was called into action quite early on in the match, with Mario Gotze through on goal. Schmeichel did well to make himself big and deny the German. He did not have much else to do in the remainder of the match.
Ricardo Pereira: 6/10
Ricardo Pereira looked rusty, which is understandable since he was returning to the Leicester starting XI after a lengthy break. The right-back did not offer much going forward as well. He was eventually taken off for James Justin in the 67th minute.
Wesley Fofana: 8/10
Wesly Fofana was industrious and worked hard to keep his side’s clean sheet intact. Though he could have done better for Gotze’s chance, the 21-year-old improved as the match passed on, forcing the PSV attack on the backfoot quite often. He was not shy of making forward runs as well to cap off a brilliant day on the field. He made six interceptions, two clearances, a tackle and blocked one shot.
Jonny Evans: 7/10
Evans, like his centre-back partner Fofana, was a hard nut to crack for the Dutch side. He was strong in ground duels and ensured Leicester finished the match without conceding a goal.
Timothy Castagne: 7/10
Though defensively, Castagne was not as solid as he would have liked to be, going forward was a different case altogether. The left-back was not shy of making forward runs and dribbling his way into the PSV half. He played a key pass in the match as well.
James Maddison: 6/10
Like most of Leicester’s attacking players, Maddison had a good first half where he fought hard for the ball, and made inroads into the PSV area, but all of it to no avail. He lost possession on 21 occasions and took just one shot on target throughout the game.
Youri Tielemans: 6/10
Tielemans looked assured on the ball, spraying passes from the middle of the park. Defensively, however, he was not very sound as the PSV players dribbled past him thrice in the match. He would want to put in a much-improved performance in the second leg.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 8/10
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall offers his verdict after the #UECL draw in Thursday's #LeiPsv first leg ?️ pic.twitter.com/o3u0JvI6o0
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 7, 2022
Dewsbury-Hall was possibly Leicester’s best player on the pitch. He was heavily involved in the team’s attacks from the left flank. He played in three crosses, made three key passes and created one big opportunity. He partnered well with Barnes and was also available to make crucial interventions for his side when PSV attacked. Rodgers would hope the midfielder can continue in a similar vein.
Marc Albrighton: 6/10
Not the greatest of performances from Albrighton. He misplaced quite a few of his passes, and his final ball often left a lot to be desired. He was taken off for Patson Daka in the 81st minute of the match.
Kelechi Iheanacho: 5/10
The former Manchester City striker missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half. After going one-on-one with the PSV goalkeeper, he chipped the ball wide. Rodgers will want much more of his striker when the two sides meet again in a week.
Harvey Barnes: 6/10
Barnes was involved in some neat build-up plays in the first half and also came close to scoring when his shot hit the crossbar late in the first half. He was largely ineffective in the second half of the match.
?⚪️ PSV return home for their second-leg with it all to play for after a goalless draw at Leicester #UECL pic.twitter.com/m7h2nq2OMk
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) April 7, 2022
SUBSTITUTES
James Justin: 5/10
Justin came on for Pereira in the 67th minute but could not do a lot to get Leicester in front. He made three tackles but going forward, he did not offer much.
Ademola Lookman: 5/10
Lookman came on for Iheanacho in the 67th minute but was restricted to just 21 touches on the ball. He also lost possession on seven occasions.
Patson Daka: N/A
Daka came on in the 81st minute for Albrighton but did not affect the proceedings enough to warrant a rating.
