City Beaten In Hong Kong Soccer Sevens Plate Final

Midfielder Jak McCourt’s solitary strike then secured a 1-0 win over Shanghai SIPG in the semi-final, setting up a final tie with Hong Kong Football Club. 

The fixture finished goalless after normal time, meaning the Plate final would be decided by a sudden death penalty shootout, which Leicester lost 1-0. 

Reflecting on his side’s results, Nicky Eaden told LCFC.com: “We were comfortable in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals. We were never really under any sort of pressure. That’s the nature of the competition. 

“In the final, we had numerous clear-cut chances. We probably lacked that cutting edge to get a goal. The tournament is an extreme version of football. When their goalkeeper pulled off a good save, it seemed to galvanise them.

“The more chances we missed, you got the feeling that we weren’t going to break them down. Neither side could score in normal time, so it went straight to sudden death penalties. 

“Their goalkeeper saved Jak McCourt’s penalty, then Jonny Maddison saved their first one. Barmbs (Jack Barmby) put one over the bar and they scored their next, and that was it. It was pretty instant – tournament football is tough.”