Leicester City drew 2-2 with Napoli, bringing the group’s top two teams to within a point of each other
After conceding a two-goal lead to Napoli in their Europa League debut at the King Power Stadium, Brendan Rodgers said his “young team will learn.”
After Ayoze Perez and Harvey Barnes had given Leicester a 2-0 lead, Victor Osimhen of Napoli struck twice in the second half.
Osimhen reduced the deficit with a wonderful touch past Kasper Schmeichel before completing the comeback with a header in the 87th minute.
The crime isn’t that you gave away the two goals; it’s that you didn’t learn from them. That is something I am confident this young club will do, “Rodgers stated.
Perez had put Leicester ahead with a volley from Barnes’ cross, and the winger added a second after summer signing Patson Daka’s goal was ruled out for offside.
The hosts appeared to be on their way to winning Group C, but Osimhen struck late before Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi was sent off for a second yellow card.
With Leicester still having to travel to Italy, as well as Spartak Moscow and Legia Warsaw, the group is wide open.
The King Power Stadium was filled with a festive mood to welcome European football back to Leicester, and the match – widely predicted as a clash between two of the competition’s favourites – did not disappoint.
After only three minutes, Napoli took the lead with their first effort on goal, and Leicester answered when Barnes was denied from close range before setting up Perez’s volley with a brilliantly weighted cross. Piotr Zielinski of Napoli was kept out by Timothy Castagne and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, but Lorenzo Insigne and Hirving Lozano came close.
The Italians had been squandering chances, and when Barnes calmly thumped in Leicester’s second, they appeared to be on their way to victory. But Osimhen danced into the box before flicking the ball past Jannik Vestergaard and over Schmeichel with a brilliant one-touch passing play.The Napoli striker then lingered in the air for a punishing second nod. Following the final whistle, tensions rose when police and stewards interfered after missiles were hurled by both sets of fans.
