Last-Gasp Young Foxes Draw With Celtic
Second-half goals from captain Paul Appiah and Kian Pennant confirmed a late point from the Foxes, who managed to come back after Tsoanelo Letsosa scored a brace for the travelling Bhoys side on a cold night in Seagrave.
There were only two changes to the side that drew against Manchester City 0-0 last week, with Shane Flynn and Terell Pennant introduced to the starting XI in place of Sammy Braybrooke and Deniche Hill, with the latter dropping to the bench.
It didn't take long for either side to see a sight at goal, with the visitors producing the first opportunity when they struck the crossbar, before Leicester started to create problems of their own six minutes in.
Tawanda Maswanhise picked out Brandon Cover in the box and he saw his effort blocked by Josh Clarke in the opposing net, before the 'keeper was on hand again to prevent Wanya Marcal-Madivadua from turning in the rebound.
Moments later, the Foxes were had another chance when Maswanhise looked to supply Cover, but once again, an early chance for City went begging when the No.10 fired over from close range.
Despite seeing the majority of the ball, it was the Scottish side who opened the scoring, when Letsosa fired past Chituru Odunze in the Leicester net from inside the box.
Looking for a way back, the bright spark for Leicester was Cover who, from the midfield, was continuously looking to create, often picking the ball up in his own half, before spinning past a Celtic player to drive his team forward.
However, just before the break it was defender Bayli Spencer-Adams looking to create, when he laid the ball into the path of Pennant after a powerful forward run, but the resulting effort curled wide of the post.
Unfortunately for the Foxes, it was the travelling side who would find the next goal, giving themselves a two-goal lead when Letsosa fired into the bottom corner, with the aid of a Flynn deflection to take it away from Odunze.
Minutes before Celtic built this cushion, City had the chance to get back level when Maswanhise took aim from the edge of the box but sent an effort wide. The missed opportunity was a harsh reminder of the cost of missing your chances.
However, the young Foxes were keen to learn from their mistakes and it was captain Appiah who took matters into his own hand, when Leicester pulled a goal back just after the hour mark.
Inside the penalty area, the central defender strode into space before slotting the ball past the Celtic 'keeper into the bottom corner of the net.
After the goal, Leicester certainly had their noses up, as they could smell an opportunity to draw back level, and long range efforts from Maswanhise and Joe Wormleighton came close, but failed to really test Clarke.
With 20 minutes to go, Flynn was the next in line to test the Celtic 'keeper, as he picked up a loose ball, and tried his luck from range. While the ball flew with conviction, it landed straight into the grasp of Clarke, who kept the visitors in front.
Into injury time we went, and Leicester continued to push. With seconds left on the clock, a golden opportunity appeared. K. Pennant found himself one-on-one in front of goal and, under pressure, managed to finish low past Clarke to earn his side a well deserved draw.
Major moment – Kian Pennant strikes late on
On the night, Leicester had the higher number of attempts on goal and it's fair to say deserved something from their efforts. This reward came when Kian Pennant slid the ball under the Celtic 'keeper late into injury time.
Who impressed? – Brandon Cover
Throughout the game, Brandon Cover looked lively and always keen to find an opening for his team. Picking up the ball, losing his marker, and driving towards the Celtic box was a regular occurrence.
Where do we stand? – Third in Group A
The late point sees Leicester climb to third in Group A of the Premier League International Cup, but are ultimately eliminated from the competition, having achieved five points from four games.
Coming up – Brighton (A)
The Foxes return to Premier League 2 action when they travel to the Amex Elite Football Performance Centre to take on Brighton & Hove Albion.
The details...
City: Odunze; Wormleighton, Appiah (c), Spencer-Adams (Godsmark-Ford 67'), Flynn (Richards 81'); Leshabela, K. Pennant, Marcal-Madivadua (Hill 60'), Cover, T. Pennant (Briggs 67'); Maswanhise
Subs not used: Doherty, Lindsay, Wilson-Brown
Goals: Appiah 60', K. Pennant 90'