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Home  » Sports » Champions League PHOTOS: Leicester close in on knock-outs, Sevilla win

Champions League PHOTOS: Leicester close in on knock-outs, Sevilla win

October 19, 2016 13:27 IST
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Images from Champions League matches played across Europe on Tuesday

Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel celebrates with Christian Fuchs and Wes Morgan after the game against FC Copenhagen at King Power Stadium in Leicester on Tuesday

IMAGE: Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel celebrates with Christian Fuchs and Wes Morgan after the game against FC Copenhagen at King Power Stadium in Leicester on Tuesday. Photograph: Phil Noble Livepic/Reuters

Leicester City are on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages after a 1-0 win over Copenhagen on Tuesday continued to defy their domestic woes and kept up a perfect record in Group G.

Leicester shrugged off their disappointing Premier League form to secure a third straight win in the competition thanks to Riyad Mahrez's 40th-minute goal.

Claudio Ranieri's men were unfortunate not to triumph by a bigger margin after Islam Slimani had a goal harshly ruled out for offside in the second half.

They ended the contest, however, grateful to keeper Kasper Schmeichel for a superb one-handed save in the final minute as Leicester inflicted a first defeat on Copenhagen in 24 matches in all competitions.

The win moved Leicester onto nine points, one more than they have from eight games in the Premier League. With three matches remaining, they are five clear of second-placed Copenhagen and Porto, who beat Club Bruges 2-1 in Belgium.

For much of the encounter, especially the first half, Leicester looked exactly like a side struggling for points domestically.

They created little and struggled to get a stranglehold in midfield as their Danish opponents confidently stroked the ball around the pitch.

"It was a stern test that's for sure," said Leicester captain Wes Morgan.

"We had to really work hard, be resilient and try to take our chance when it came."

There were nervy moments for Leicester at the death, none more so than Schmeichel's superb save to deny Andreas Cornelius, palming his low effort away to safety from close range.

Porto snatch last-gasp victory at Club Brugge

Andre Silva of FC Porto and Claudemir of Club Brugge compete for the ball during their UEFA Champions League Group G match at Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium

IMAGE: Andre Silva of FC Porto and Claudemir of Club Brugge compete for the ball during their UEFA Champions League Group G match at Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium. Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Andre Silva converted a 93rd-minute penalty as Porto breathed new life into their faltering UEFA Champions League campaign and sounded the death knell for Club Brugge's in the process.

For three-quarters of this match the outlook was decidedly rosy for the Belgian hosts, with Jelle Vossen's cool finish giving them the lead on 12 minutes.

Amid mounting pressure, Miguel Layún struck a fine equaliser midway through the second half, paving the way for the dramatic finale.

In added time Jesus Corona was brought down by a clumsy challenge and Andre Silva displayed composure well beyond his 20 years to send the keeper the wrong way.

Brugge came out fighting, and drew first blood when Vossen thumped in the opener.

Yet they could not sustain it and the equaliser deflated them only for Silva to deliver the knockout blow.

Sevilla stay on course after Nasri strike sinks Dinamo

Sevilla's Samir Nasri celebrates scoring a goal against Dinamo Zabreb during their UEFA Champions League Group H match at Maksimir stadium, Zagreb, Croatia

IMAGE: Sevilla's Samir Nasri celebrates scoring a goal against Dinamo Zabreb during their UEFA Champions League Group H match at Maksimir stadium, Zagreb, Croatia. Photograph: Antonio Bronic/Reuters

Sevilla edged closer to the Champions League last 16 after a first-half goal by Samir Nasri gave the Spanish side a 1-0 win at Croatian title holders Dinamo Zagreb in their Group H match on Tuesday.

The result left Sevilla, the winners of the last three titles in the second-tier Europa League, level on seven points at the top of the section alongside Juventus, who were 1-0 winners at Olympique Lyonnais.

Lyon have three points while Dinamo, the only side of 32 teams in the competition yet to score a goal, have none.

Sevilla missed a string of chances on a slippery surface either side of Nasri's clinical 37th-minute finish, when he poked the ball home from a tight angle after a low cross by Mariano Ferreira.

Nasri, who moved to Sevilla on a year-long loan from ManchesterCity during the close season, shot wide from a similar position midway through the first half as Dinamo struggled to get out of their own half.

Mariano, Luciano Vietto and Franco Vasquez also came close and the visitors were nearly punished for their misses in the closing stages after Dinamo finally pressed forward.

El Arabi Hilal Soudani, Gordon Schildenfeld and 18-year-old Borna Sosa all came within a whisker of getting an equaliser at the Maksimir stadium but Sevilla held on to their slender lead.

Late Silva lining for Monaco as CSKA are held

CSKA Moscow's Lacina Traore and Monaco's Djibril Sidibe vie for the ball during their UEFA Champions League, Group E match at CSKA Stadium, Moscow

IMAGE: CSKA Moscow's Lacina Traore and Monaco's Djibril Sidibe vie for the ball during their UEFA Champions League, Group E match at CSKA Stadium, Moscow. Photograph: Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters

CSKA Moscow were denied a first Champions League victory this season when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Group E leaders Monaco on Tuesday.

Lacina Traore put the 'Army Men' in front against his parent club in the 34th minute but Bernardo Silva grabbed the equaliser late on.

CSKA were desperately disappointing three weeks ago against Tottenham Hotspur but the Russians found top gear straight away against Monaco, causing problems with their pace and direct approach.

The impressive Alexander Golovin orchestrated play from midfield and the hosts took the lead after 34 minutes following a good team move.

Zoran Tosic curled in a left-foot shot that Danijel Subasic could only parry and Traore tapped the rebound into an empty net.

Igor Akinfeev then produced a stunning reaction save from close range at the other end to deny Andrea Raggi a goal.

Monaco have five points from three games, one in front of Tottenham. Bayer Leverkusen are on three points while CSKA have two.

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