Leicester City registered a 2-0 win over Stade Rennais in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16 encounter.
Leicester City welcomed Rennes to the King Power Stadium in the knockout stages of the newly-introduced Conference League after defeating Danish side Randers in the playoffs.
Brendan Rodgers made two changes to the side that defeated Leeds United 1-0 in the Premier League last weekend, bringing in James Justin for Hamza Choudhury and Patson Daka for the injured Jamie Vardy.
Rennes dominated the early proceedings, but the Foxes gradually came into the game and took the lead in the 30th minute through Marc Albrighton. Rodgers’s side continued to have the upper hand in the second half as well. Still, the visitors made a late push to equalise, only for Leicester to score another as Kelechi Iheanacho struck on a counter-attack.
The second leg of the Last 16 tie has been scheduled for Thursday, March 17. Here’s how the Leicester players fared in the game.
Signing the night off with another win and clean sheet ?? pic.twitter.com/SrBDNr01T0
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 10, 2022
Kasper Schmeichel: 7/10
The Danish shot-stopper made a crucial save to keep the visitors from equalising in the second half. However, that was his only save of the match, as Rennes could not test him regularly. He commanded the box well and made a clearance too.
James Justin: 7/10
The right-back was tasked with containing Rennes’ Jeremy Doku and had a rather mixed outing. While he was only dribbled past once, he was guilty of conceding possession 14 times throughout the game. He was strong in ground duels, too, winning six of the nine he contested. Justin missed a major part of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury and will hope to build on his recent performances and finish the term strongly.
Daniel Amartey: 7/10
The Ghanaian international produced a strong performance at the heart of the Leicester defence. He combined well with Caglar Soyuncu, who held his position as Amartey ventured forward. The 27-year-old was especially impressive with his passing, completing 98% of his passes, including eight long balls.
Caglar Soyuncu: 7/10
Soyuncu held his own in the Leicester defence, not allowing the Rennes attackers to get behind their defensive line. He made five clearances in the match, blocked one shot and completed one tackle and interception.
Luke Thomas: 7/10
Left-back Luke Thomas rounded off the solid Leicester backline, all of whom played an integral part in keeping a third straight clean sheet for the Foxes across competitions. Thomas was confident to bomb forward on the flank, helping the likes of Marc Albrighton and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall stitch forward moves.
Youri Tielemans: 6/10
The Belgium midfielder did not perform as assuredly as he would have liked to and failed to dominate the midfield. None of his long balls found his teammates, and Tielemans could only complete 77% of his 39 passes. The 24-year-old has had much better days in a Leicester shirt.
Wilfred Ndidi: 7/10
This was another solid performance from Ndidi in the centre of the park. The midfielder shielded his defence well, blocking one shot and making one interception and tackle. He was also only dribbled past once in 90 minutes.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 7/10
Dewsbury-Hall started in the left of a midfield-three for Leicester but ventured around the pitch, often finding himself in advanced positions. He had a shot on target in the match and made two key passes. Five of his seven dribbles were successful too — all in all, it was a good game for the 23-year-old.
Marc Albrighton: 8/10
????? ?? ????? ?#LeiRen #UECL pic.twitter.com/01yMJ6EIp8
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 10, 2022
Leicester’s star of the night, Marc Albrighton, scored and assisted once each against Rennes. He gave the Foxes the lead in the 30th minute before setting up Iheanacho for the home side’s second goal of the night. He also made three key passes in the match to cap off a great night.
Patson Daka: 6/10
Starting in place of the injured Jamie Vardy, Daka did not have the greatest of games and failed to threaten the Rennes backline. He could not register even one shot on target and lost all of his aerial duels. The 23-year-old was taken off for Kelechi Iheanacho in the 62nd minute.
Harvey Barnes: 7/10
Barnes assisted the opening goal for Albrighton and tormented Hamari Traore throughout the match. Three of his four dribble attempts were successful, one of which led to Leicester’s opener. He was taken off Ademola Lookman in the 80th minute to keep him fresh for the upcoming Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday.
SUBSTITUTES
Hamza Choudhury: 6/10
Hamza Choudhury came on in the 62nd minute for James Justin to play his second consecutive match at the right-back position. He did well in his short stay on the pitch, making three clearances while completing an interception and a tackle.
Kelechi Iheanacho: 7/10
Advantage… DOUBLED!!! ? ?#LeiRen #UECL pic.twitter.com/Usj867i53f
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 10, 2022
Iheanacho came on for Daka in the 62nd minute and scored the Foxes’ second goal of the encounter. He could be tasked with leading the Leicester attack in the upcoming match against Arsenal.
Ademola Lookman: N/A
Lookman came on for Barnes in the 80th minute but did not affect the proceedings much.
James Maddison: N/A
Maddison was expected to start the encounter, having returned from an injury only recently. However, Rodgers probably kept him fresh for the Arsenal game.
