A Real Treat.
So Saturday finally arrived and with it the long anticipated appearance of nine times European Champions League winners Real Madrid. This was to become the inaugural event of the newly named King Power Stadium.
The atmosphere outside the stadium was electric; the streets were aligned with supporters standing up to four men deep to wait the arrival of the team, but it was not our team they were waiting for. It was the team valued at over 1/2 Billion pounds.
The owners had pulled out all of the stops to provide the entertainment, even down to the free fun fair rides for the children. Was the game to provide the same amount of entertainment?
Once inside the stadium I made my way to my seat, as I did the first sight was the sun lapping against the new Desso Grass master System pitch, which look truly stunning, and to think it is not even finished yet.
The in-stadium entertainment continued as the 32,188 fans began to fill the stadium.
As each of the LCFC players were announced the stadium erupt with a unified cheer for each player, however this was echoed by boo’s for each of the visiting players.
Leicester started with City playing a 4-3-3 formation with Schmeichel, Peltier, Mills, Bamba, Konchesky, Wellens, Abe, Danns, Gallagher, Nugent and Vassell. During the first half the team certainly took the match to Real Madrid with Leicester showing great resilience in anything that was put before them.
On 22 minutes Schmeichel showed what we had been missing in goal when he raced out to make himself big in front of Fabio Coentrao and to make a save that was truly stunning.
Half way through the first half Cristiano Ronaldo emerged down the West Stand touch line going through his warm up schedule. Suddenly boo’s emerged from the ground, eventually the round of applause he received drowned out the sound of those making the unnecessary noise. Are these the same people who not an hour ago were lining the streets in hope of catching a glimpse of the same player. I think those disrespectful fans were those who turned up to OUR stadium in Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool tops. This was a game for the people of Leicester and the fans of Leicester City FC. I know supporters who could not attend due to it being a sell out. I know I would rather see them there in their LCFC shirt than the non LCFC supporters who came for no reason at all other than to say ‘I was there’.
After 43 minutes of entertaining football the old worries of last season emerged with a defensive error leading to Karim Benzema dispossessing Matt Mills and then playing the ball to Jose Callejon, who rolled the ball into the unoccupied goal. This was an undeserved goal as Leicester had more than proven the desire and want on that pitch.
The second half witnessed the arrival St.Ledger, King and Johnson with Mills, Wellens and Gallagher making way for them respectively.
The next goal arrived after the hour mark; this showed the class of Real Madrid as following a LCFC corner they counter attacked with Benzema getting on the score sheet following an assist from the goal post.
We then saw the arrival of Waghorn, Howard and Dyer with quarter of an hour to play.
Fans started to stream from the stadium with ten minutes of play remaining, why do they do this? I would not leave that stadium even if we were losing 5 -0, and the reason for this is because we may just score that one goal, and the euphoria you feel when that goal goes in.
Those fans than continued to leave can no longer in years to come say I was there when Dyer scored his goal against Real Madrid. The goal that was created by a Waghorn corner, a Sol Bamba flick on and the mesmerizing volley by Dyer.
The score after 90 minutes proved that this game had not been the anticipated rout of Leicester. There was no 4-0 or 5-1 score line.
Leicester proved themselves on that pitch. They played like warriors; they were a team that can achieve great things this season, more importantly it was our team, our own players, our own foxes.
Richard Tullis
@Rich_Tullis
