Schmeichel remains the brightest star in Leicester's flickering season
Kasper Schmeichel admitted after Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at Sevilla that it felt strange. It was, after all, a loss on paper, but perhaps one that could kick-start Leicester City’s season.
And that’s all thanks to the goalkeeper himself, who made every kind of save to keep his team in the Round of 16 tie. Leicester scored a crucial away goal through Jamie Vardy to buoy the hopes of Claudio Ranieri’s side, although the strike wouldn’t have mattered at all without Schmeichel’s vital stops.
The Foxes can now look forward to the reverse leg on March 14 because of his performance.
“That is what I am there to do. You have nights like that. We knew we would have to ride our luck and we would have to come up with some saves. Everyone deserves credit,” the diplomatic Dane said in a post-match interview with BT Sport.
“We lost the game, that is disappointing. We certainly are not celebrating. 2-1 away from home in the Champions League? We will take that.”
Of course they will. This is a club that’s desperate for any kind of turning point in a season of utter disappointment. Ranieri made 10 changes to the side that lost at third-tier Millwall in the FA Cup last weekend, one of Leicester’s six defeats in its previous eight outings. Talk of relegation was no longer a fanciful debate: It was a reality Schmeichel openly accepted earlier this month.
One of the Leicester’s biggest leaders and most honest speakers, the 30-year-old again took the opportunity Wednesday to give his teammates a chance to reverse their fortune.
Sevilla peppered the Leicester goal in the first half and put endless pressure on the visitor before winning a penalty. Schmeichel gobbled up Joaquin Correa’s weak spot-kick and showed why he had kept four clean sheets in his previous four Champions League appearances.
The Andalusian club found a breakthrough in the 25th minute, and it could have ended the half – and the tie – with another two or three goals if not for Schmeichel’s interventions. He even had to sprawl to prevent an own goal from Christian Fuchs.
The defending in front of the former Manchester City shot-stopper was woeful. Sevilla whipped in cross after cross, and Leicester’s defenders, who last year were so good in the air, lost those aerial battles.
Then, the damage was done. Fuchs couldn’t defend Pablo Sarabia as he outjumped the Austrian to nod in the first goal. Robert Huth and Wes Morgan looked flat-footed and dazed as Stevan Jovetic controlled the ball and dished a cool pass to Correa for the second tally.
There was nothing Schmeichel could do on either play.
Yet neither goal fazed him. Relying on quick reflexes, diving to ground, and tipping shots away from danger, Schmeichel gave Leicester the platform to come away from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan with some kind of hope. Vardy’s first goal in 10 matches was the least Schmeichel’s performance deserved.
In all, Sevilla fired 23 shots to Leicester’s seven. The gulf in quality was noticeable. Possession was 72 percent to 28. Sevilla’s pass success after 45 minutes ran up to 85 percent, while Leicester’s slumped to 58.
But Schmeichel earned his keep, which is not something many Leicester players, including reigning PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez, can say for themselves.
Ranieri questioned his players’ heart and desire in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to 10-man Millwall, which Schmeichel was not a part of. The Italian gaffer has not seen the same fighting spirit that propelled the club to the summit of the Premier League last season. Before Wednesday’s clash, neither Vardy nor Mahrez had scored since Dec. 10. It’s been dire for months.
Amid all the chaos, however, Schmeichel has stayed true to himself. The decay of the Huth-Morgan partnership has put more pressure on the goalkeeper, with Schmeichel making the fourth-highest saves per 90 minutes among Premier League netminders with 10 or more appearances. He’s the one player who can hold his head high during this historically poor title defence.
“It’s hard to emulate someone like your dad,” said Rio Ferdinand in reference to Peter Schmeichel. “But he’s up there as one of the best in the Premier League.”
It’s true even in Europe, and if Leicester can summon the courage to beat Sevilla at home and stave off relegation, there is one man who should take most of the credit.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
