Considering the ultimatum to their Russian opponents prior to kick-off, perhaps it should have been no surprise that Leicester City were unable to get the victory to send Brendan Rodgers’s team top of group C. “Win or die,” read the rather menacing banner held up by the 150 or so Spartak Moscow fans, but in the end Jamie Vardy’s saved penalty kept all teams in this group alive to set up a thrilling final two rounds.
Rodgers’s side looked set to join Napoli on seven points after the Italians beat Legia Warsaw earlier in the day, but substitute Vardy’s tame spot kick wasted the opportunity to go top, leaving Leicester third in a group separated by three points, but knowing victory in the final games will mean they progress as group winners. “It’s all to play for,” Rodgers said. “It is very clear: we win the two games and we win the group. Napoli will be a tough game away from home but we played well here and if we play to our highest level we will.”
After turning a two-goal deficit into victory by scoring four in Moscow a fortnight ago, Patson Daka’s name received the warmest ovation at the King Power Stadium as one of three changes to the team beaten by Arsenal on Saturday. Daka was a menace to Spartak and provided the spark for his team but it was his fellow summer signing, Boubakary Soumaré, who almost ignited it.
Twisting and turning in the box, Daka had attempted to gain space when Samuel Gigot got a toe to the ball, sending it towards the edge of the area, where Soumaré let fly with a thumping left boot that left the crossbar shaking and Spartak feeling fortunate.
The Russians had defended resolutely but offered little going forward, set up to counterattack, with Roman Zobnin occasionally nicking possession in midfield, but his team-mates lacked the quality to punish Leicester.
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Ayoze Pérez had come in as No 10 for Rodgers while Ryan Bertrand was the final replacement, as Jamie Vardy, Ademola Lookman and Luke Thomas dropped to the bench. Bertrand barely saw the ball at left back with Leicester’s best work down the right through Timothy Castagne, who set up Kelechi Iheanacho’s tame shot after Daniel Amartey dragged a long-range effort wide and Perez failed to hit the target.
Leicester were consistently dangerous but rarely clinical, summed up by Iheanacho’s dancing run into the area that appeared to tee up Daka from 12 yards before his partner took one touch too many and Iheanacho hit only air.
The Russians showed more ambition after the interval and were immediately rewarded. Moses started and ended the move that resulted in the surprise opener, flicking the ball out wide to Mikhail Ignatov before racing into the box and glancing a header beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
Rodgers prepared a double change as he chased the crucial points, with Wilfred Ndidi and Lookman replacing Pérez and Bertrand. But before the pair departed they both played a crucial role in orchestrating the equaliser. It was Bertrand’s inswinging corner, then Pérez’s flick to the far post, that allowed Amartey to come thundering in with a header into the bottom corner.
The King Power had barely settled when Youri Tielemans almost caught Aleksandr Selikhov, the Spartak goalkeeper, off guard with a looping attempt from out wide that was just tipped over.
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Rodgers’s tinkering appeared to pay off when, three minutes after Vardy had been introduced, he linked up with his fellow substitutes Ndidi and Lookman, who was tripped in the box by Moses. Vardy couldn’t make it count and Iheancho hit the post late on.
Leicester City (3-4-1-2): K Schmeichel 6 — D Amartey 7, J Evans 6, C Soyuncu 6 — T Castagne 6, B Soumare 6 (K Dewsbury-Hall 83min), Y Tielemans 6, R Bertrand 5 (W Ndidi 58) — A Pérez 5 (A Lookman 58) — K Iheanacho 6, P Daka 6 (J Vardy 71). Booked Tielemans.
Spartak Moscow (3-4-1-2): A Selikhov 8 — M Caufriez 7, S Gigot 8, G Dzhikiya 7 — V Moses 7, R Litvinov 7 (I Kutepov 90), R Zobnin 7, Ayrton 7 — M Ignatov 6 (A Lomokvitskiy 87) — A Sobolev 6 (Z Bakayev 77) , Q Promes 6 (N Umyarov 77). Booked Moses, Sobolev.
Referee H Meler (Tur). Attendance 30,222.