Staff Reporter.
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers said his side are still “in a good place,” despite playing out a goal less draw at home against PSV Eindhoven in their Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg on Thursday.
Leicester had the bigger share of possession but managed to create few clear-cut chances, with Harvey Barnes coming closest to scoring when his shot cannoned off the crossbar on the stroke of half-time.
“We showed our resilience defensively and we’ll go there with enough hope that they’ll probably open up a bit more, which will give us a bit more space,” Rodgers told reporters. “It’s finely balanced, I thought it was a good game.
“With a little bit more finesse and precision in our passing then we might have been able to open the scoring. We’re still in a good place.”
PSV were denied a chance to go ahead when they had a potential penalty waved away after Ricardo Pereira appeared to bring down Cody Gakpo, and without VAR, the referee’s decision went unchallenged.
“I’ve seen it, it was a clear penalty. I’m not a big fan of the VAR so I can’t complain,” PSV head coach Roger Schmidt said. “It was a penalty, but it’s part of football where referees make wrong decisions.
“We accept it and we have to focus on next week.”
⚽️ RESULTS ⚽️
Who is happiest after the first-leg games? ?#UECL
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) April 7, 2022
Meanwhile Jose Mourinho suffered another defeat at the hands of Bodo/Glimt as his Roma side’s Europa Conference League hopes hang in the balance.
The Italians were thrashed 6-1 by the Norwegians in the group stage and endured another difficult evening in this quarter-final first leg.
Lorenzo Pellegrini’s strike late in the first half looked to have put the visitors on course for victory.
But goals from Ulrik Saltnes and Hugo Vetlesen gave the hosts victory.
Former Wolves keeper Rui Patricio was at fault for the first goal, allowing Saltnes’ effort to spin past him when he ought to have saved it.
That remarkable defeat in October was a low point in Mourinho’s managerial career – the first time one of his teams had conceded six in what was then his 1,008th match as a coach.
If Bodo/Glimt can replicate in the second leg the result they achieved in Rome in the group stage in November – a 2-2 draw – that would be enough to send them into a first European semi-final.