Foxes Into Premier League Asia Trophy Final After Shootout Victory
Despite starting positively in Hong Kong, the Foxes fell behind following a superb strike from Jay Rodriguez. West Brom’s summer addition fired into the top corner from 25 yards with just 10 minutes on the clock.
But City continued to press and were level 14 minutes later thanks to Riyad Mahrez, who darted through the middle before slotting in past Ben Foster to make it 1-1.
Just three minutes into the second period, City had an entirely different outfield team on the pitch, as 21 players featured in the Hong Kong humidity.
Chances after the break proved to be scarce, with Jamie Vardy coming closest with an effort that flashed across the face of Foster’s goal.
Finishing 1-1 after 90 minutes, the tie went to penalties, with the ‘ABBA’ shootout rule coming into play.
Leonardo Ulloa, Jamie Vardy, Christian Fuchs, Danny Drinkwater, Vicente Iborra and Andy King all converted their spot kicks, before Ben Hamer denied Sam Field with an excellent stop.
That left it to Marc Albrighton to net the winner, and he made no mistakes from 12 yards, sending his penalty into the top corner to help City book a spot in the final.
Key moment
While all the pressure looked to be on Marc Albrighton to win it for Leicester, Ben Hamer’s penalty save proved pivotal.
Unfortunate to be beaten from distance by Jay Rodriguez in normal time, the Leicester stopper did brilliantly to get a strong had to Sam Field’s effort.
Who impressed?
Only Ben Hamer completed 90 minutes on Wednesday, with 20 outfield players each sharing minutes against West Bromwich Albion.
Summer signings Harry Maguire and Vicente Iborra looked comfortable lining up alongside their team-mates, while youngster Elliott Moore put in a convincing display alongside the experienced Wes Morgan in the second half.
Having to deal with intense heat and humidity, each member of the Foxes side put in a credible shift against a strong West Brom outfit.
Where do we stand?
We’re into the Premier League Asia Trophy Final!
The Foxes will face either Liverpool or Crystal Palace in the final on Saturday evening at Hong Kong Stadium (1.30pm kick-off BST).