CL: Ranieri Hails Leicester’s Flying Start, Spurs Stunned At Home, As Real Snatches Late Win

The Leicester fairytale continued as they enjoyed the best possible introduction to Champions League football with a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel stadium on Wednesday night.

Riyad Mahrez scored twice after Marc Albrighton grabbed the opener just five minutes in to net the Foxes’ first ever goal in the competition.

The goal secured his position in the club’s history as their first-ever scorer in the competition, and their first in Europe since 2000.

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has hailed his team’s performance as his last season’s miracle men produced a stellar performance to take all three points in Belgium.
The win was Leicester’s first in any European competition for 55 years

Last season’s Premier League champions were beaten 4-1 by Liverpool on Saturday – their heaviest defeat in more than 12 months – and have lost twice in the league already this season but did not seem to allow that weigh them down at the Jan Breydel stadium.

“It was important to show the reaction after the Liverpool defeat,” said Ranieri. “I said we cannot think about the Champions League, it’s an experience for us and we hope to go through the group and play again.

“If we don’t achieve the first two positions we’ll go in the Europa League, that’s our desire to continue in Europe although the Champions League is better.

“Now we play the first match, there are another five. We played our style. They tried to find a right solution but it was very difficult. It was good for us to start our story with a victory.”

Porto and Copenhagen’s 1-1 draw also means the Foxes top Group G after the opening round of fixtures but Ranieri dismissed suggestions Leicester found their debut in the competition comfortable.

He added: ” It was never easy, if they score at the beginning it changes the face of the match. Against Brugge there was a team who wanted to react after the bad defeat and it was difficult for everyone.

“It’s a big test against everyone because with Rostov we are the only two teams never to play in the Champions League. It’s difficult to play against teams with very good experience. It’s not easy but it’s okay.

“We have started well and it gives us confidence and now we have to stay calm and put our minds to the next match on Saturday (against Burnley).”
It’s been 16-years since Leicester last experienced European football. The Foxes will face far more capable teams than Club Brugge if they progress to the knockout stages, which already seems a genuine possibility on this evidence.
Elsewhere, Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as Manchester City defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium to preserve Pep Guardiola’s 100 percent record in charge of the team.
Real Madrid began their Champions League defence as Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata struck in the closing minutes to beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1 at the Bernabeu
Tottenham Hotspur’s return to Champions League football was not a pleasant one as Mauricio Pochettino’s men lost 2-1 at Wembley to Monaco after the French side went two goals up in the opening half-hour, while Dortmund won 6-0 away in Poland against Legia Warsaw.