Leicester vs. Roma result: Foxes battle back in Conference League semifinal draw

Sean Markus Clifford

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Leicester vs. Roma result: Foxes battle back in Conference League semifinal draw image

Leicester City battled bravely to record what was a richly deserved draw against a resolute Roma side at the King Power Stadium, in the first installment of their UEFA Conference League semifinal series. 

The Foxes started on the front foot, with Belgian defender Timothy Castagne firing narrowly wide from a James Maddison corner. Brendan Rodgers' men would continue to probe in the opening exchanges, however, it was Jose Mourinho's Roma who struck first blood in their battle of tactical wit. 

Youngster Nicola Zalewski drove at the heart of the Leicester City defence, before playing in Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini who slotted home confidently on 15 minutes to give the visitors the lead. Leicester did not let their heads drop, however, with Ademola Lookman going very close for the hosts on either side of the half-time interval. 

Their pressure eventually paid dividends on 67 minutes, as Harvey Barnes's driven cross was turned into his own net by Roma defender Gianluca Mancini to send the home support into raptures. 

Both sides had chances to claim victory, with Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester) and Sergio Oliveira (Roma) coming closest to glory in the last 20 minutes of the proceedings. Nevertheless, it was to end all square in the East Midlands, leaving the series up for grabs ahead of the second leg next week. 

Jose Mourinho will fancy his chances of taking Roma through to the final in front of his own supporters, while Brendan Rodgers will look to tap into his side's second-half dominance at the Stadio Olimpico as he looks to secure a famous victory that would guarantee a first-ever European final for Leicester.

Leicester vs. Roma final score

  1H 2H Final
Leicester  0  1   1
Roma  1  0   1

Goals:
ROM — Pellegrini — 15th min.
LEI — Mancini (own goal) — 67th min.

Leicester vs. Roma live updates, highlights from Conference League

Full-time: Leicester and Roma finish all square at the King Power Stadium, setting up a compelling second leg at the Stadio Olimpico next week. Both sides will be pleased with their efforts in a game that was full of drama and entertainment.

90th min: Five additional minutes for both sides to find a winning goal at the King Power Stadium, will anyone be able to snatch some late glory?

88th min: Chris Smalling is down injured for Roma, following a flailing elbow by Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho. The incident was totally accidental, however, try telling that to Jose Mourinho!

85th min: Confirmation of two late changes for Roma. The visitors seem content in slowing the game down, much to Leicester's frustration. There hasn't been much in the way of chances in the last few minutes. 

84th min: Another change for Leicester City, as Ayoze Perez comes on to replace Ademola Lookman. 

80th min: So close from Roma's Oliveira! Brilliant approach play from Tammy Abraham before his layoff to Oliveira forces Kasper Schmeichel into a smart stop.

79th min: Strike from outside the box from Iheanacho is turned round the post by Roma 'keeper Rui Patricio. The striker wasn't far off of finding the far corner.

77th min: Both sides going for the victory in this pulsating encounter, will either be able to come out victorious?

72nd min: So close for the hosts! James Maddison twists and turns in the box before Kelechi Iheanacho heads over from a tight angle. Leicester certainly have the momentum now in the last 20 minutes!

67th min: GOAL! Mancini inadvertently scores an own goal from close range after a fizzed ball across the box! Party time for Leicester, can they go on and find a winner now?

Watch the goal: UK | USA | Australia

65th min: Zaniolo finds himself in a promising position for Roma, however, he can't thread the ball through to Tammy Abraham. 

63rd min: Dewsbury-Hall fires over the bar for the hosts, before Jamie Vardy and Marc Albrighton depart for Harvey Barnes and Kelechi Iheanacho. Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is going all-out to try and rescue an equaliser for his side.

57th min: Roma have been forced into an injury-related change, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes way for Jordan Veretout.

51st min: Real chance for Leicester! Ademola Lookman heads over from around eight yards. The winger will no doubt be frustrated by his inability to hit the target on this occasion.

47th min: All to play for in the second half, the next goal in this series will most certainly be a crucial one.

46th min: The referee gets us underway for the second 45 minutes.

Half-time: Setting personal bests at the correct time for his side. Will Pellegrini's opening goal play a part in guiding the Romans through to the final?

Halftime: Roma's early breakthrough in the East Midlands courtesy of an early strike from Lorenzo Pellegrini sets us up nicely for a thrilling second half. 

Halftime: The referee calls time on a frustrating 45 minutes for Leicester, who have had more of the ball but find themselves 1-0 down thanks to a Lorenzo Pellegrini strike. Jose Mourinho will be the happier of the two managers so far.

45th min: Roma eventually survive an almighty scramble in the box after some extremely brave defensive work. 

42nd min: The Roma captain currently separates the sides at the moment, producing a calm finish to silence the Leicester faithful on 15 minutes.

38th min: James Maddison lines up a free kick in a promising position, though he can only strike the ball into a robust Roma wall. Leicester are starting to build momentum as halftime closes in.

34th min: Rui Patricio parries a fizzing strike from Ademola Lookman, only for an offside call to be made on the rebound for the hosts. 

32nd min: Close! James Maddison fires a snap shot over the bar from outside the area. Leicester have responded well since conceding.

30th min: Ademola Lookman is slipped through on goal, only to be denied by a vital block by Roma defender Chris Smalling which deflects behind for a corner.

24th min: Roma are well in the ascendency now, whereas Leicester have been forced into an early substitution, with James Justin replacing Timothy Castagne at left back.

15th min: GOAL! Lorenzo Pellegrini opens the score for the visitors, latching on to a through ball before sliding the ball under goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. 

Watch the Roma goal: UK | USA | Australia

8th min: Booking for Tammy Abraham after a mistimed challenge on Albrighton, Maddison can't take advantage from the resulting free kick.

7th min: The Foxes have been quick out of the starting blocks, dominating possession in the match so far.

4th min: Leicester go close, as a James Maddison corner is headed narrowly wide by Timothy Castagne. Wow, what a start from the hosts!

2nd min: Early opening! Vardy flashes a low cross into the box, which is cleared for a Leicester corner.

1st min: We're now underway at the King Power Stadium.

5 mins from K/O: Nearly kickoff time in the UEFA Conference League semifinal first leg, follow all the action here in the Sporting News live blog, detailing the events of Leicester vs. Roma as they happen.

10 mins from K/O: Nicolo Zaniolo returns to the starting lineup for the visitors after missing their defeat to Inter Milan at the weekend. His offensive threat will give Roma a reliable out ball at the King Power Stadium and a goalscoring threat.

20 mins from K/O: Not long now until the action begins, as Leicester put in some final preparation for tonight's semifinal. 

25 mins from K/O: Both managers are deep in discussion ahead of kickoff, who will come out on top in this powder-keg match? 

30 mins from K/O: Both Leicester and Roma will be desperate to get through to the final of the UEFA Conference League and successfully bring the trophy home. Should either manage to achieve this feat, they would be guaranteed a place in the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League group stages, adding further incentive to win the trophy.

35 mins from K/O: It's certainly an exciting time to be a Leicester fan at the moment, isn't it?

45 mins from K/O: Tammy Abraham is back on English turf tonight for the first time since leaving Chelsea for Roma last summer. Will he come back with a bang and get himself on the scoresheet tonight for Roma?

55 mins from K/O: Brendan Rodgers and Jose Mourinho are no strangers, even working together whilst the latter was in charge of Chelsea. Here is how the two bosses have faired against each other so far in the dugout.

60 mins from K/O: Tammy Abraham will likely provide the focal point in attack for Jose Mourinho's side, as he seeks to add to the eight UEFA Conference League goals he has netted this campaign.

1 hr 20 mins from K/O: Confirmed! Visitors Roma name their starting eleven to take on Leicester in the UEFA Conference League last four. 

1hr 20 mins from K/O: Huge news for Leicester fans tonight, as Jamie Vardy starts just his second fixture of 2022 after recovering from a knee injury.

1hr 25 mins from K/O: The Leicester team is in! Here is how the Foxes will line up for the visit of Roma.

1hr 30 mins from K/O: The King Power Stadium looks to be more than ready for the occasion as Leicester and Roma prepare to do battle in 90 minutes' time.

1hr 30 mins from K/O: Leicester attacking midfielder James Maddison leads the scoring charts for his side in the UEFA Conference League this season. The 25-year-old could be key to the Foxes in their hunt for a positive result in this clash.

1hr 45 mins from K/O: Italian football expert Vieri Capretta provides his detailed insight into Jose Mourinho's ambitions of bringing silverware to Rome for the first time in 14 years. Could the Portuguese maverick go on to claim his fifth European trophy as a manager come the 25th of May?

2 hours from K/O: Nice gesture from Jose Mourinho, who makes sure to honor Leicester's late owner outside the King Power.

2 hours from K/O: The Sporting News is here to provide live coverage from the King Power Stadium, as Leicester City and Roma battle it out in the UEFA Conference League semifinal first leg. Stay locked in here for all the updates, commentary, and color from the match.

Here's an AS Roma hype video to get the juices flowing:

Leicester vs. Roma starting lineups

Leicester City starting lineup (4-3-3): Schmeichel (GK) — Pereira, Evans, Fofana, Castagne — Dewsbury-Hall, Maddison, Tielemans — Albrighton, Lookman, Vardy.

Leicester subs: (Justin, Soyuncu, Ward, Barnes, Ihaenacho, Perez, Amartey, Choudhury, Vestergaard, Daka, Thomas, Soumare)

 

Roma starting lineup (3-5-2): Patricio (GK) — Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez — Karsdorp, Mkhitaryan, Cristante, Pellegrini, Zalewski — Zaniolo, Abraham.

Roma subs: (Vina, Perez, Shomurodov, Maitland-Niles, Veretout, Kumbulla, Oliveira, Spinazzola, Bove, Afena-Gyan, Cerântula Fuzato, El Shaarawy)

How to watch Leicester vs. Roma

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date Thur, April 28 Thur, April 28 Thur, April 28 Fri, April 29
Time 20:00 BST 15:00 ET 15:00 ET 05:00 AET
TV channel BT Sport 3 — — —
Streaming BT Sport Paramount+, Vix.com DAZN Stan Sport

UK: Leicester vs. Roma will be televised on BT Sport 3 and streamed on BT Sport's platforms.

USA: The match will be streamed on Paramount+ (English language) and on Vix.com (Spanish language). The Vix broadcast is free, while the Paramount stream is available to subscribers.

Canada: In Canada, every UEFA Conference League game streams live on DAZN. 

Australia: All Europa Conference matches are available to watch on Stan Sport.

Sean Markus Clifford