Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen stole the headlines in a fantastic performance as he was the star man in a thrilling draw at the King Power Stadium. His brace cancelled out a two-goal Leicester lead in their opening fixture of Group C in the Europa League.
The Foxes started the game the better side and took the lead early on before a flurry of Napoli chances were missed. Napoli had more of the ball in the first half and were unlucky to go a goal down at half-time but were wasteful with their chances and Schmeichel did well to deny them. Napoli had 15 total shots in the first half to Leicester’s five, but only managed four and three on target respectively.
Ayoze Perez and Harvey Barnes gave Leicester a 2-0 lead but Napoli fought back to earn a well-deserved point. Both teams looked to press high and play out from the back in an entertaining game from start to finish. Luciano Spalletti’s side mounted a great comeback however, thanks to a stupendous performance by Osimhen who caused havoc in the Leicester defence throughout the match.
? The points are shared in Leicester after a late Napoli equaliser…
Fair result? ?♂️#UEL pic.twitter.com/dgh07bPLQg
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) September 16, 2021
Leicester
Kasper Schmeichel – 6.5
Made a good save to stop a Zielinski effort from inside the six yard box in the first half and could do little about Osimhen’s brace.
Timothy Castagne – 6
Made a great block to deny Napoli in the area in the first half after Osimhen was a threat down the right with his pace.
Jannik Vestergaard – 4
Got done by the pace of Osimhen often and was also a bit sloppy at the back. Received a yellow for bringing down Anguissa. Poor defending for Osmihen’s first goal and should have been stronger in the challenge.
Johnny Evans – 4
Bit sloppy at the back and struggled with the pace of Osimhen. Subbed off at half-time for Caglar Soyuncu.
Ryan Bertrand – 6
Could have done better to close down Politano’s cross for the equaliser and had an average game.
Wilfred Ndidi – 6
Booked in the first half for a challenge on Anguissa. Sat deep, shielding the defence and intercepted well in the midfield but was sent off in injury time for a second yellow card.
Ayoze Perez – 7
Good press to intercept a dreadful pass from Ospina but the hosts couldn’t take the chance. Pushed up and did well in the press before being subbed off at half-time.
Boubakary Soumaré – 6.5
Booked after half an hour for a poor challenge. Nice control and progressive passing with good link-up play in midfield. Subbed off for James Maddison in 76th minute but had a solid performance.
Patson Daka – 6
Got what initially looked to be the second goal for Leicester with a good finish low into the bottom corner but was ruled out for offside. Subbed off in the 70th minute for Lookman and wasn’t involved too much in the game.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 7
Got on the ball a few times in the first half but lacked quality. Drove forward from midfield in the build up to the second goal and played a well-timed ball into Barnes. A little careless in possession but did create chances and was involved in both goals.
Harvey Barnes – 8
Assisted Perez for the first goal and provided a great finish for Leicester’s second goal on his left foot, shooting across goal into the bottom left corner. All three of his shots were on target and he had a fine game.
Substitutions:
Caglar Soyuncu – 6
Looked good when he came on, making challenges and blocking balls in the box. Received a yellow card after bringing down Ounas, giving away a free-kick in a dangerous area.
Youri Tielemans – 6.5
Influenced the game when he came on, driving into the box and had a decent game off the bench.
Ademola Lookman – N/A
James Maddison – N/A
VICTOR AIRLINES ??✈️
? #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/AVu4doXJje
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) September 16, 2021
Napoli
David Ospina – 6
Made a great save early on, smothering the ball to deny Barnes but made a poor pass out from the back which gave Leicester an opportunity to score. Could do little to stop the two Leicester goals.
Kevin Malcuit – 6.5
Pushed forward and looked to attack, putting in some good crosses on the right flank and had a fairly solid game at the back. Subbed off late in the second half for Juan Jesus.
Amir Rrahmani – 5.5
Booked in injury time after pulling back Maddison on the break. Wasn’t the best at the back but was accurate with his passing.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 6
Made some good challenges in some important areas but didn’t stand out.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6
Fairly solid overall performance, retained possession well and had a decent defensive performance. Booked in the 34th minute.
Frank-Andre Zambo Anguissa – 7
Pushed high and looked to win the ball back and put in some successful challenges to win possession. Did well in the midfield, making a couple tackles and winning duels. Caused Leicester problems with both Vestergaard and Ndidi being booked for challenges on the Cameroon international.
Fabian Ruiz – 7
Sat deep and won the ball well. Retained possession fairly well and made some good interceptions.
Piotr Zielinski – 5.5
Should have done better with his chance from an Osimhen pass in the first half. A bit sloppy with his passes but did make a couple of successful challenges. Subbed off after an hour for Elmas.
Hirving Lozano – 6
Got on the end of a few crosses from Malcuit and Insigne and attacked the box well. Didn’t do much with his opportunities and was subbed off just after an hour.
Victor Osimhen – 9
Osimhen was the star man and caused danger for Leicester throughout the match with his speed. He created a few chances and got on the ball well in the first half but was rash with his finishing. The former Lille man pulled a goal back for Napoli with a great lob over Schmeichel and produced a great header to bring the scores level late on after a good leap over Soyuncu. 100% pass accuracy and won the most duels in the match with six. Stellar performance from the 22-year-old.
Lorenzo Insigne – 7.5
Continuously posed a threat to Leicester down the left, cutting in onto his right. Tracked back well too and made a couple of good challenges. Put crosses into the box often and combined well on the edge of the area in the lead up to Napoli’s first goal. Created chances throughout the match and was a threat but could have done better with his finishing.
Substitutions:
Politano – 7
Great cross on his left foot from the right, clipped in towards the head of Osimhen for the equaliser. Created four chances when he came on and made a big impact.
Elmas – N/A
Ounas – N/A
Andrea Petagna – N/A
Juan Jesus – N/A