An Iconic Night – Leicester's Sevilla Triumph Five Years On

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An Iconic Night – Leicester's Sevilla Triumph Five Years On

On 14 March, 2017 – five years ago today – Leicester City toasted one of the greatest nights in the Club's history as the Foxes booked their place in the last-eight of the UEFA Champions League.

2022-03-14T11:47:00.000Z

An Iconic Night – Leicester's Sevilla Triumph Five Years On

On 14 March, 2017 – five years ago today – Leicester City toasted one of the greatest nights in the Club's history as the Foxes booked their place in the last-eight of the UEFA Champions League.

2022-03-14T11:47:00.000Z

An Iconic Night – Leicester's Sevilla Triumph Five Years On

On 14 March, 2017 – five years ago today – Leicester City toasted one of the greatest nights in the Club's history as the Foxes booked their place in the last-eight of the UEFA Champions League.

2022-03-14T11:47:00.000Z

An Iconic Night – Leicester's Sevilla Triumph Five Years On

On 14 March, 2017 – five years ago today – Leicester City toasted one of the greatest nights in the Club's history as the Foxes booked their place in the last-eight of the UEFA Champions League.

2022-03-14T11:47:00.000Z

An Iconic Night – Leicester's Sevilla Triumph Five Years On

On 14 March, 2017 – five years ago today – Leicester City toasted one of the greatest nights in the Club's history as the Foxes booked their place in the last-eight of the UEFA Champions League.

2022-03-14T11:47:00.000Z

Leicester, the Premier League champions, had been swept away by a fairytale of their own design, one which had propelled them to fame around the world. Their first-ever English title was considered a miracle, but it came with a promise of more – qualification into the game's most prestigious competition.

The Champions League is the very top table of European football. Since the tournament's inaugural campaign in 1955, the Blue Army have watched on in awe as the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich dominated the continent on the grandest stage of them all.

Now, for the first time ever, the Foxes were in the club too. Les grandes équipes would ring around King Power Stadium at last. The first assignment for Claudio Ranieri's title-winners was a trip to Belgium to face 1978 finalists Club Brugge. City would win 3-0 in their debut at Jan Breydel Stadium.

Victories over Porto and Copenhagen would follow as Leicester finished top of Group G. It was all going remarkably well. Premier League form was a concern, however, and Ranieri's final game in charge would be a last-16 first leg reverse at Sevilla. A 2-1 scoreline in Spain kept the tie open.

Craig Shakespeare was in the hot seat for the visit of Jorge Sampaoli's Rojiblancos. The Club could have sold tickets for three times King Power Stadium's capacity for the occasion – and there was that Champions League anthem again as the two sides emerged into a cauldron of noise ahead of kick-off.

Blue and white flags illuminated the ground. A banner featuring Shakespeare himself declared 'let slip the dogs of war', echoing William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. At the opposite end, two dark fox's eyes glared down on the turf below. A massive European night awaited. History was already being written.

The stands were rocking when the Foxes kicked off. King Power Stadium, draped in the iconic Champions League colourway, had never seen the like. Every tackle was roared like a goal and every stray pass met with an uneasy groan. The stakes were so high.

Kasper Schmeichel, now third in Leicester City's all-time appearances charts, was called upon early to stop Samir Nasri at his near post. Leicester, though, were settling. Sevilla's players were being hounded in possession and their hosts were starting to keep them in their own half for lengthy spells.

On 27 minutes, City were awarded a free-kick, on the left channel. Algerian wizard Riyad Mahrez stood over it. His ball in was perfect. Martín Pareja missed his header. It came to Wes Morgan – the skipper who lifted the Premier League in May – to prod the ball past Sergio Rico with his knee at the far post.

Cue an iconic Filbert Way goal celebration. An almighty roar made anyone still in any doubt aware of its significance. Leicester were level on aggregate and, courtesy of Jamie Vardy's precious away goal in Seville, currently on course to go through on the now-defunct away goals rule.

Sevilla were five-time winners and holders of the UEFA Europa League. Experts on the European stage. A storm would surely be coming City's way. Wissam Ben Yedder would drill wide of the net for the Spanish visitors before the break, but the home side were holding out. They needed another.

After the break, the ball dropped to the shaven-headed, fluorescent-booted Sergio Escudero. With the swing of his left boot, the ball was suddenly flying towards Schmeichel's top corner. Only a late dip in its trajectory meant it would crash onto the crossbar, prompting a brief hush among the home faithful.

Half-time substitute Stevan Jovetić, meanwhile, couldn't keep the rebound down. A reprieve for the Foxes. Sampaoli bellowed in frustration on the sidelines. Leicester still led by a single goal on the night. As the clock struck the 54th minute of a fraught, pulsating tie, Mahrez whipped a cross in at the other end.

It was headed away by Adil Rami, but only to the feet of Marc Albrighton. The crowd fell silent again, just for a second. City's No.11 chested the ball down, took a touch, and belted it towards the bottom corner. There was nothing Rico could do. The page had already been turned on the next chapter.

Albrighton was sliding onto his knees by the time the Sevilla goalkeeper could retrieve the ball from his net. There was pandemonium all around him. Leicester City were on the cusp of securing an unthinkable passage into the latter stages of the Champions League. 2-0 on the night, 3-2 on aggregate.

One Sevilla goal would ruin it all, though, and the Foxes faithful in attendance knew it. The pressure everyone expected finally arrived deep into the second half as the La Liga side started to click through the gears, lurking on the edge of City's penalty area, waiting for that one chance to pounce.

Leicester's momentum had fizzled away. Inexplicably, with Sevilla in possession, Nasri turned to Vardy, on the angle of the penalty area. The Frenchman squared up to City's No.9 and their heads came together. Within seconds, both were booked, but it was Nasri's second offence.

Italian referee Daniele Orsato reached into his top pocket and held a red card aloft. It was all going wrong for Sevilla. Islam Slimani and Robert Huth held the former Manchester City wideman back. He wanted seconds with Vardy. Manager Sampaoli would later join him in being given his marching orders.

Things were boiling over, but Leicester remained ice cool. A Filbert Way classic had one last development in store for the Foxes faithful. One last nerve-shredding twist of the intestines. Joaquin Correa's through-ball cut City open and Vitolo fell to the deck under a challenge from Schmeichel in the area.

Penalty to Sevilla. Extra-time would beckon if Steven Nzonzi was to score it. The 6ft 5in midfielder stepped up and side-footed it to Schmeichel's left. In a moment now etched into the memories of every Leicester supporter, the Dane dived the right way and Huth belted the ball away. City had survived.

Danny Drinkwater and Mahrez raced to jump onto Schmeichel to show their appreciation and hastily got pushed away by Leicester's No.1. There was work still to be done. At the other end, Rico made a point-blank stop to prevent Vardy's header from making it 3-0 to the home side.

Sevilla were desperate for a goal and City were now renowned around the globe for their counter-attacking prowess. Mahrez later had a moment to spring into action, eventually slipping a pass through to Vardy, but the former Fleetwood Town striker couldn't keep it down. Correa then volleyed over for Sevilla.

Deep into added time, whistles rung around King Power Stadium as the away side peppered Leicester's 18-yard box. It dropped to Albrighton, the would-be match-winner, on the right flank. All he needed to do was keep the ball. Sevilla's exhausted players did their best to keep up with him, but he was away.

Headed straight for the corner flag, nobody was taking it off him. Before he got there, the sweetest sound of all rung out. The referee's full-time whistle. Shakespeare raised his eyebrows in disbelief before shaking the hands of Sevilla's backroom staff. City's players fell onto each other in delight.

A draining night was over and Leicester were into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Eight years earlier, Filbert Way had hosted third-tier football. Atlético Madrid would be next up in the last-eight of European football's platinum club competition. Europe was everything Leicester's fans had dreamed it would be.

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