It was a night to forget for Leicester City as they lost 1-0 to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico and 2-1 on aggregate.
The Foxes‘ Achilles’ heel struck again as the home side scored the only goal of the game from a corner. It was always going to be a tough task from that moment onwards as Jose Mourinho’s side put in an impressive defensive display. LCFC had the majority of possession, but were unable to create any major chances. They didn’t even register a shot on target until late in the second half.
Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel – 6
The Danish keeper couldn’t do too much with the goal he conceded. After that early goal, Schmeichel came out to crosses and was punching the ball clear more often than he has for most of this season. Leicester’s captain was barely tested for the rest of the game, with just the occasional save needed.
Ricardo Pereira – 5
Pereira’s night never really got going. He was given the unenviable task of marking Tammy Abraham for the corner that the former Chelsea scored from.
From that moment onwards, the Portuguese defender struggled to make a major impact on the game. At times it seemed like him and Ademola Lookman were playing different games, as they struggled to effectively link up and create opportunities down the right.
Defensively, the 28-year-old never seemed comfortable and was beaten too easily at times. He did make a couple of important tackles in the second half to prevent Roma from putting the game beyond doubt.
Wesley Fofana – 7
A solid game from the French centre-back. He wasn’t troubled too much but stepped in when needed and made some key tackles and blocks throughout the game. His pace was needed as he occasionally had to track back to stop threatening through balls in behind the LCFC back-line.
Jonny Evans – 6.5
It was a quiet game for the Northern Irishman. He made tackles when needed and switched the play nicely with some quality cross-field passes. However, Evans did also at times appear vulnerable with his lack of pace and was saved by Fofana.
James Justin – 7
Out of the three fullbacks that were in action on Thursday night, Justin was the best, both defensively and in attack as well. ‘JJ’ was quiet in the first half, but with the change of formation in the second half, he was able to attack more and had more of an impact on the game. Although, he was unable to find a way to break down Roma’s defence.
Youri Tielemans – 5.5
Another game where Tielemans didn’t perform poorly, but he failed to have an impact on the game as much as he has in the past. Whether this is due to form, or the fact that he doesn’t have the same freedom going forward without a defensive midfielder, the Belgian midfielder has not been the same player that he once was of late. He made a few promising passes but lacked the creativity to find a way through the home side.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 6
In a similar case to Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall struggled to create chances for his teammates, however, he was able to find some space to take shots of his own. Unfortunately, his two chances that he did take, failed to trouble the keeper as they both sailed harmlessly wide of the goal.
James Maddison – 5
Maddison had a game to forget as his corners never caused any trouble for the opposition and he failed to make a difference in the game. You couldn’t criticise his efforts, as he regularly tried to dribble through multiple defenders as he attempted to create chances for Leicester City. His game summed up the team as a whole, as the few opportunities that he did get, he was under pressure from defenders and was unable to test the keeper.
Ademola Lookman – 4
Both wingers failed to cause any problems for the Italian side in the second leg. Lookman’s choice of passes were often questionable and when he would try to beat the defender on his own, his moves were too predictable and easily brought to a halt.
Harvey Barnes – 4.5
It was another frustrating performance from the City academy graduate. For much of the 45 minutes that he played, he struggled to get the ball and was anonymous going forward. When he did get his opportunities, he failed to threaten Mourinho’s side and would give away possession.
Jamie Vardy – 4.5
Across both legs, the Foxes failed to give Vardy the service he needed. With the home side playing a deep-line, it meant that he was unable to make his runs in behind and had to be more patient in attack. The 35-year-old had a chance in the last minute of the game when the ball fell to his feet in the penalty area, however, he was unable to control it and as a result failed to get a shot off.
Daniel Amartey – 6
Amartey wasn’t troubled much in the second half as the East Midlands side dictated the tempo for the majority of the last 45 minutes. At times, Amartey was slow when passing the ball around the back, which allowed Roma to reset, but you cannot put any of the blame for the team’s performance on the Ghanaian.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 6.5
The fact that Iheanacho plays a vastly different game to Jamie Vardy, meant that he was able to have at least some impact on the game when he would drop deep and link up with the wingers. The Nigerian international had one of Leicester City’s only shots on target late in the game as his shot from the edge of the box was saved by Rui Patricio.
Timothy Castagne – 6
Castagne came on midway through the second half in place of Pereira, but was unable to have a great impact on the game.
Ayoze Perez – N/A
Brendan Rodgers’ last roll of the dice was to bring on the Foxes’ quarter-final hero late in the game. Perez had a few promising moments, but much like the rest of the side, was unable to get in behind Roma’s defence.