Copenhagen 0-0 Leicester City
Leicester's defence of their Premier League crown may be going awry, but they are enjoying a remarkable run in the Champions League. The Foxes are just one point away from a place in the knockout stages after a 0-0 stalemate in Copenhagen, largely thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
But they have been rocked by news the Danish keeper fractured his hand on Wednesday night and is set for a spell on the sidelines. Sky Sports claims he will be missing for up to six weeks.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Latest Videos From
Claudio Ranieri's side are top of Group G after four games. Not only are they undefeated in Europe, they are also one of only two sides yet to concede a goal in the competition (the other is Sevilla, in Group H).
That they emerged from the encounter with that record intact is down to Leicester's "superhuman powers of defending", says John Percy of the Daily Telegraph.
The last time Leicester were in Copenhagen, it was for a superhero-themed Christmas party at the end of last year. Suitably, on their latest visit they came up with a "heroic performance which leaves them on the brink of the knockout stages, with a stunning save from Kasper Schmeichel in the final minute typifying their resolve".
That full-length save to deny Andreas Cornelius "was arguably the one moment of class in an ugly game that was undeserving of the Champions League theme", adds Percy. "It was certainly a different stratosphere to the Pep Guardiola masterclass that humbled Barcelona the previous night."
Leicester will make the last 16, but there are worrying signs despite their progress, says Alyson Rudd of The Times, arguing they showed too much respect to Copenhagen and were far too cautious in their play. "This is not how Leicester won the Premier League," she says. "They did not grasp the title by being tentative and forelock-tugging."
Copenhagen are not Real Madrid, but Leicester could find themselves playing the Spanish giants next spring. That prospect gives rise to the "worrying notion that Ranieri will try too hard, give the big teams too much respect".
So could the return of Ranieri's "Tinkerman" persona undo Leicester? "There must be a huge temptation for the Italian to exhibit his experience across Europe and set up his team differently to prove he has been plotting and thinking and calculating," adds Rudd. "Last night, though, his players ran around in perpetual perplexity."
