Leicester fight back against PSV to reach Conference League semis / Photo: © ANP/AFP
Leicester fight back against PSV to reach Conference League semis
Leicester battled back to beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 on Thursday in the Europa Conference League to reach a European semi-final for the first time in their history.
After a goalless draw in the first leg in England last week, PSV took the lead in the quarter-final tie through Eran Zahavi.
But late goals from James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira sent Brendan Rodgers' Premier League side through and stunned the Philips Stadion crowd.
Leicester will face either Roma or Norwegians Bodo/Glimt for a place in the final in Tirana on May 25.
The first real chance of the game fell to PSV's Mario Goetze in the 13th minute, but the German's volley was kept out of the net by a magnificent, one-handed save from Kasper Schmeichel.
Leicester should have taken the lead minutes later as Harvey Barnes raced clean through on goal, but the England winger slipped his effort agonisingly wide of the far post.
Schmeichel had to be alert again in the 25th minute to tip away Mauro Junior's low shot, but PSV did forge ahead shortly afterwards.
Goetze intercepted Youri Tielemans' loose pass just outside the Leicester box, before laying the ball off for Zahavi to drill a fine strike into the bottom corner.
Leicester almost levelled just after the half-hour mark, but Jordan Teze hooked Maddison's deflected effort off the line.
The visitors pressed in the second half but had to wait until the 77th minute to equalise.
Substitute Ayoze Perez did brilliantly to get to the byline and pull the ball back for Maddison, who picked out the roof of the net to score for the 14th time this season.
A PSV fan threw a cup at the celebrating Leicester players, before a two-minute delay.
The Foxes completed their comeback with just two minutes of normal time remaining, as Pereira pounced on a rebound after Patson Daka's shot was saved.
Later on Thursday, Roma look to overturn a 2-1 deficit at home against Bodo/Glimt, as do PAOK when they host Marseille, while Slavia Prague and Feyenoord meet in the Czech capital following a 3-3 first-leg draw.
The winner of PAOK and Marseille may have to play the home leg of their semi-final behind closed doors after UEFA opened an investigation into violence at last week's first leg.
(L.Chastain--LPdF)
