Leicester City vs. Club Brugge: Score, Reaction from 2016 Champions League Match

Leicester City qualified for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League after beating Club Brugge 2-1 at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.

Shinji Okazaki and Riyad Mahrez scored in the first half to set the Foxes on their way to a result that means they've qualified as winners of Group G.

Jose Izquierdo struck back in spectacular fashion for Brugge to ensure a nervy second half for the hosts. But Leicester hung on and made certain of top spot in the group thanks to Porto's goalless draw with Copenhagen.

City boss Claudio Ranieri put Andy King in midfield alongside Danny Drinkwater. He also included winger Marc Albrighton in a 4-4-2 formation, per the club's official site:

The King Power faithful didn't even have to wait five minutes to see their team go in front. Okazaki got the goal but only after some fine work from raiding left-back Christian Fuchs.

Okazaki finished emphatically to continue his excellent scoring run on home soil, per Squawka Football:

Assist-happy Austrian defender Fuchs is a keen source of supply for the Foxes. In fact, Rob Tanner of the Leicester Mercury believes Fuchs should be pushed on more often:

Leicester looked a lot like the side that won last season's Premier League title during some impressive passages of play during the early stages against Brugge. In particular, the Foxes made typically swift transitions between defending and breaking at pace.

Drinkwater and Co. always shifted the ball quickly and usually on to the flanks. Some neat combinations and devilish deliveries from out wide caused havoc in the Brugge defence.

Jet-heeled striker Jamie Vardy dragged one low cross in front of the penalty spot, but Okazaki couldn't reach it. Then right-back Danny Simpson hit a first-time ball across the face of goal that just eluded Vardy and Albrighton.

However, the latter soon made his presence felt when he was felled just inside the box by defender Dion Cools. Mahrez stepped up to sweep home the spot-kick in style. The Algerian winger is now one of the most prolific attackers in the tournament, according to WhoScored.com:

Leicester were two up at half-time and should have been coasting after the break. Yet a bolt out of nothing got Brugge back in it.

Colombian winger Izquierdo unleashed a rocket of a shot into the top corner. It was the first time Leicester had conceded in this tournament, a lengthy run of stinginess detailed by OptaJoe:

The sudden goal prompted some obvious nerves in defence. In fact, seeing Izquierdo go close again nudged Ranieri into making a few chances. He introduced winger Jeffrey Schlupp and forward Demarai Gray off the bench in place of his goalscorers Mahrez and Okazaki.

Yet the substitutions did little to alter the change in momentum on the pitch. As pressure mounted, James Sharpe of the Leicester Mercury was left exasperated by City's panic at the back:

Indeed, a barrage of crosses into the Leicester box barely let up during the final minutes. Several teasing deliveries nearly provoked calamities among City's defenders.

Yet the hosts should have made sure of the points when Gray and Vardy combined superbly on the break. The latter completed a sweet one-two with a deft header, but Gray made a mess of the finish.

Still, the Foxes rode their luck to complete a remarkable achievement in their maiden Champions League campaign.

Post-Match Reaction

Ranieri declared this achievement a part of another fantastic journey, similar to the one that helped Leicester conquer England's top flight last season, according to the club's official Twitter:

City centre-back Wes Morgan also hailed what he and his team-mates have accomplished:

Leicester's run in the Champions League has been in sharp contrast to their stuttering title defence in the Premier League. Ranieri offered one reason why, while also insisting his team will now gets its focus back domestically:

The relief from qualifying with a game to spare should help the Foxes relax a little in Europe. Ranieri must hope less pressure on one front will get his side back on track in another competition.