Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Brendan Rodgers dismisses suggestions Leicester could face early exit

sportsmole.co.uk, 30 September 2021, 20:06
Boss Brendan Rodgers dismissed fears Leicester could suffer an early Europa League exit after their lacklustre defeat at Legia Warsaw.

Mahir Emreli's strike sunk the Foxes in Poland as they slipped to a 1-0 loss to leave them struggling in Group C.

The Foxes were joint favourites for the competition with Napoli but both sit joint bottom of Group C with just a point after the Italian's 3-2 defeat to Spartak Moscow.

Leicester go to Moscow in October and Rodgers remains confident they can progress.

He told a press conference: "It's very open, there are four games to go. Legia have made a good start but our aim is to qualify. We still have work to do.

"We've got one point from two games but there is enough time to do that.

"I'm disappointed with the result. We were too passive in the game in the first half. Then we had a couple of really good chances.

"We didn't concede too much, we dominated the second half and were much more active. We had opportunities to get something from the game.

"I've made the changes but it doesn't take away the importance from it. We have four more games to qualify. As a football club, we're new to the level."

Rodgers made six changes from Saturday's 2-2 draw with Burnley with Jamie Vardy only coming off the bench for the final eight minutes.

Leicester's preparations started in embarrassing fashion when Kelechi Iheanacho was turned away by Polish border control because of problems with his travel documents on Wednesday.

It got worse as Emreli struck a first-half winner when he held off Daniel Amartey and drilled into the corner off the post.

Ayoze Perez dragged wide with just Cezary Miszta to beat as Leicester chased the game but they rarely looked like they had the energy and ingenuity to level.

The Foxes at least improved after the break and had plenty of possession but only Jannik Vestergaard's miscued header forced Miszta into action.

Indeed, Kasper Schmeichel needed to ensure Legia did not add a late second when he turned Lirim Kastrati's shot onto the post before Tomas Pekhart blazed over when the hosts caught Leicester on the break.

Emreli told uefa.com: "My mum usually wants me to shoot as quickly as possible when I get the ball, so I don't think she will be fully satisfied because I kept the ball for some time.

"We have six points after two games. You might think it's a dream, but it it's really happening.

"There are no favourites anymore in football. Everything is in your head. I said before the game we should enjoy it like an exotic holiday because it is fantastic to play in such an atmosphere against such a good team and we did that."

Show more

Top News

23 March 2025 talksport.com Mohamed Salah wants to stay at Liverpool even though he hasn't yet agreed a new deal. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina will look to officially secure their place at World Cup 2026 when they face rivals Brazil in Tuesday's clash at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Morocco will look to continue their impressive start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Tanzania at Stade Municipal on Tuesday. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria have announced their starting lineups for Sunday's fixture in the UEFA Nations League. 23 March 2025 talksport.com It's almost been eight years since Andrea Pirlo retired from football, but he hasn't lost his world-class free-kick abilities. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Malaga's teenage winger Antonio Cordero ahead of the summer transfer window. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly set their asking price for Ferran Torres, with the versatile attacker expected to be on the move during this summer's transfer window. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Steve Bruce has passionately responded to Dwight Gayle after he claimed he 'didn't do tactics' when in charge of Newcastle. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji this summer. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Luka Modric has revealed that he is yet to speak with Real Madrid over his future beyond the end of the campaign. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Flash back to the first few months of Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur reign, where the Australian took a marvellous 26 Premier League points from 30 on offer, the most by any head coach in their first 10 matches in the competition. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is reportedly giving serious consideration to returning to the Premier League during this summer's transfer window, with Liverpool said to be his preferred destination. 23 March 2025 talksport.com A pitch invader was tackled by former Premier League defender Brede Hangeland after charging at Erling Haaland. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly already decided to try to cash in on as many as five loanees during the summer transfer window. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus have confirmed that they have made the decision to sack head coach Thiago Motta. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Myles Lewis-Skelly could become the next Ashley Cole for England. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Scotland and Greece have announced their starting lineups for the second leg of their UEFA Nations League playoff. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly battling Manchester United for the signature of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, with the Nigerian set to be on the move during this summer's transfer window. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Sean Dyche has revealed the reason he was shocked Vincent Kompany secured the Bayern Munich job. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leading the way in Group L of World Cup 2026 Qualifying, Montenegro aspire to make it two for two when the Faroe Islands visit the Gradski stadion in Niksic on Tuesday evening. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is reportedly determined to bring Monaco defender Vanderson to the club this summer. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Olise isn't much of a talker, especially in French. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Ajax are reportedly willing to sell Brian Brobbey for as little as €25m (£21m) during this summer's transfer window, which could alert both Manchester United and Arsenal. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Sean Dyche has revealed the extent of the challenges he overcame at Everton before leaving the club 'in good shape'. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Sean Dyche joined talkSPORT on Sunday afternoon and FINALLY talked about the now infamous 'Utter Woke Nonsense' viral meme. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Thomas Tuchel will hope to continue his perfect start to his England tenure as the Three Lions take on Latvia on Monday, live on talkSPORT. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Hugo Ekitike is reportedly set to leave Eintracht Frankfurt during this summer's transfer window, with Manchester United among the clubs believed to be interested in his services. 23 March 2025 talksport.com Sean Dyche joined talkSPORT on Sunday afternoon and FINALLY talked about the now infamous 'Utter Woke Nonsense' viral meme. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool and Manchester City are reportedly involved in a six-team battle to sign 15-year-old Johan Martinez, who has been likened to Ousmane Dembele. 23 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente will have Alvaro Morata and Robin Le Normand available for Sunday's UEFA Nations League quarter-final second leg against Netherlands.
Something went wrong! Don't hesitate to let us know if you need any help.