Europa League - Group G
Sporting BragaSporting Braga3LeicesterLeicester City3

Braga 3-3 Leicester City: Jamie Vardy sends Foxes into Europa League last 32

By Emlyn BegleyBBC Sport
Leicester celebrate
Jamie Vardy extended his record as Leicester's oldest European goalscorer on the night Luke Thomas became their youngest

Jamie Vardy scored a dramatic injury-time goal to send Leicester into the knockout stage of the Europa League with a draw against Braga.

The substitute turned home Marc Albrighton's cross as the Foxes came from behind three times to draw.

Al Musrati blasted Braga ahead and Harvey Barnes equalised before Paulinho netted for the hosts.

Luke Thomas got the Foxes level and Fransergio looked set to win it for Braga before Vardy's late goal.

Zorya Luhansk's 3-0 win at AEK Athens in the group's other game meant a draw was enough for Brendan Rodgers' side.

The Foxes were indebted to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel for keeping them in the game at stages, before the visitors' substitutes turned the game round.

Leicester's subs make the difference

Leicester - perhaps buoyed from a comfortable 4-0 win in their previous meeting with Braga - kept many of their stars on the bench in case of emergency.

In the end they needed them.

Braga fully deserved their 2-1 half-time lead as Al Musrati drilled home and Ricardo Horta rounded Schmeichel before finding Paulinho. In between those goals, Barnes smashed home from a tight angle.

Schmeichel denied Paulinho on three occasions and Horta on another.

The turning point was the half-time introductions of Wesley Fofana and Youri Tielemans, and the 62nd-minute introduction of Vardy and James Maddison.

Vardy had a goal ruled out for offside moments after coming on and Fofana started a move and Maddison crossed for teenager Thomas to score his first goal in professional football and become Leicester's youngest European goalscorer.

Leicester's decision to look for a winner appeared to have backfired when goalkeeper Matheus caught a cross and started a quick counter which ended in Wenderson Galeno finding substitute Fransergio to put Braga 3-2 up in the 90th minute.

But Vardy started a move which he then finished when he stabbed home Albrighton's cross at the back post.

One more win will clinch the group for Leicester but Rodgers has the luxury of fielding a weak team in the final two games if that is not a major priority.

'We were outstanding in second half'

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers: "Our plan was to play the system we were in, and if we had to chase the game we would change the shape 3-1-4-2 and those players [Maddison and Vardy] would change the dynamic of the game.

"They are highly gifted players and they made a big difference.

"In the first half we were too slow in our movement, too static and we weren't aggressive enough. In the second half, we were outstanding.

"Youri [Tielemans] came on and dictated the tempo of the game. In the second half we were excellent with the football and Youri and James [Maddison] were the catalysts for that."

Line-ups

Sporting Braga

Formation 3-4-2-1

  • 1Lima Magalhães
  • 3Tormena de Farias
  • 36Viana Willemen Da Silva
  • 5Cruz Jerónimo Sequeira
  • 47de Sousa Esgaio
  • 8Al MusratiBooked at 64mins
  • 88Castro PereiraSubstituted forLuz Hortaat 87'minutes
  • 90do Nascimento Galeno
  • 45Picanco MedeirosSubstituted forRodrigues Barbosaat 77'minutes
  • 21Ricardo HortaSubstituted forMelo da Silvaat 69'minutes
  • 20Dias FernandesBooked at 84minsSubstituted forSchettine Guimaraesat 87'minutesBooked at 90mins

Substitutes

  • 2Teixeira Lopes dos Reis Gonçalves
  • 6Pires da Fonseca
  • 7Barradas Novais
  • 9Ruiz
  • 12
  • 15Luz Horta
  • 27Rodrigues Barbosa
  • 34Melo da Silva
  • 71Infande
  • 79Duarte Couto
  • 93Veiga Santos
  • 95Schettine Guimaraes

Leicester

Formation 3-4-2-1

  • 1Schmeichel
  • 2Justin
  • 6EvansBooked at 53mins
  • 28FuchsSubstituted forFofanaat 45'minutes
  • 11AlbrightonBooked at 52mins
  • 26PraetSubstituted forTielemansat 45'minutes
  • 20Choudhury
  • 33Thomas
  • 19ÜnderSubstituted forVardyat 62'minutes
  • 15BarnesSubstituted forMaddisonat 62'minutes
  • 14IheanachoSubstituted forPérezat 68'minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Fofana
  • 5Morgan
  • 8Tielemans
  • 9Vardy
  • 10Maddison
  • 12Ward
  • 17Pérez
  • 24Mendy
  • 35Jakupovic
Referee:
Daniele Orsato

Match Stats

Home TeamSporting BragaAway TeamLeicester
Possession
Home45%
Away55%
Shots
Home11
Away13
Shots on Target
Home7
Away7
Corners
Home5
Away8
Fouls
Home11
Away8

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Sporting Braga 3, Leicester City 3.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Sporting Braga 3, Leicester City 3.

  3. Goal!

    Goal! Sporting Braga 3, Leicester City 3. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Marc Albrighton with a cross.

  4. Post update

    Jonny Evans (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  5. Post update

    Foul by Guilherme Schettine (Sporting Braga).

  6. Post update

    Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Matheus.

  7. Booking

    Guilherme Schettine (Sporting Braga) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  8. Post update

    James Maddison (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  9. Post update

    Foul by Guilherme Schettine (Sporting Braga).

  10. Goal!

    Goal! Sporting Braga 3, Leicester City 2. Fransergio (Sporting Braga) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Wenderson Galeno following a fast break.

  11. Post update

    James Maddison (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  12. Post update

    Foul by André Horta (Sporting Braga).

  13. Post update

    Foul by Wesley Fofana (Leicester City).

  14. Post update

    Nuno Sequeira (Sporting Braga) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  15. Substitution

    Substitution, Sporting Braga. Guilherme Schettine replaces Paulinho.

  16. Substitution

    Substitution, Sporting Braga. André Horta replaces André Castro.

  17. Post update

    Attempt missed. Wesley Fofana (Leicester City) header from very close range is too high. Assisted by James Maddison with a cross following a corner.

  18. Post update

    Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Nuno Sequeira.

  19. Booking

    Paulinho (Sporting Braga) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  20. Post update

    Wesley Fofana (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

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Scores, Results & Fixtures

Thursday 26th November 2020

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Roma431091810
2Young Boys42116337
3CFR Cluj411238-54
4CSKA Sofia401306-61

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Arsenal44001221012
2Molde420248-46
3Rapid Vienna42028716
4Dundalk4004512-70

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Slavia Prague43018629
2B Leverkusen430114689
3Nice4103612-63
4Hapoel Be'er Sheva4103610-43

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Rangers42208538
2Benfica422012758
3Lech Poznan410368-23
4Standard Liege410339-63

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Granada431062410
2PSV Eindhoven420279-26
3PAOK Salonika41217525
4Omonia Nicosia401337-41

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Napoli43015239
2Real Sociedad42112117
3AZ Alkmaar42115237
4HNK Rijeka400429-70

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Leicester4310124810
2Sporting Braga42118807
3AEK Athens410359-43
4Zorya Luhansk410359-43

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Lille422010468
2AC Milan42117527
3Sparta Prague42029906
4Celtic4013513-81

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Villarreal4310135810
2Maccabi Tel-Aviv421146-27
3Sivasspor42029906
4FK Qarabag400439-60

J

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Royal Antwerp43015239
2Tottenham430110289
3LASK420258-36
4Ludogorets4004513-80

K

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Dinamo Zagreb42204048
2Feyenoord412145-15
3RZ Pellets WAC411256-14
4CSKA Moscow403124-23

L

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Hoffenheim44001311212
2Red Star Belgrade43019459
3Slovan Liberec4103212-103
4KAA Gent400429-70
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