Sevilla vs. Leicester: Score and Reaction from 2017 Champions League Round of 16

Jamie Vardy scored his first UEFA Champions League goal to give Leicester City a vital away goal in their last-16 tie against Sevilla. The Foxes were beaten 2-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Wednesday but will feel confident about making Vardy's away goal count in the return leg.

By contrast, Sevilla will rue not making more of their overall dominance. Sevilla gave Leicester a passing lesson en route to building a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Pablo Sarabia and Joaquin Correa either side of the break.

Such was the extent of Sevilla's dominance, Leicester have goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to thank for keeping the tie alive. The Danish stopper made a string of fine saves, including denying Correa from the penalty spot in the first half.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri included January signing Wilfred Ndidi in the starting XI, per City's Twitter:

Meanwhile, Sevilla chief Jorge Sampaoli had Manchester City loanee Samir Nasri alongside former Premier League combatant Steven N'Zonzi in midfield, per the club's official Twitter feed:

Not surprisingly, it was Sevilla who passed the ball with greater precision and authority early on. Their slicker possession play had Leicester chasing shadows, and the Foxes' confusion soon led to a penalty.

The spot-kick was given after Leicester skipper Wes Morgan rashly lunged in to bring down Correa. Fortunately for the Foxes, Correa's resulting penalty was a tame low drive angled at a perfect height for Schmeichel to save low.

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To their credit, Sevilla didn't stay deflated for long after wasting the penalty. In fact, the hosts routinely cut through Leicester's midfield and defence with some stylish combination passing.

First, Nasri slid a sly reverse pass into the box, but Sarabia couldn't quite reach it. An equally deft exchange of passes saw Sarabia pulled back to the edge of the box for Sergio Escudero to arrow a fierce low drive that Schmeichel did well to gather.

Leicester were just about clinging on, but Sevilla kept upping the ante every time they came forward. More subtle movement and intelligent passing saw Vitolo roll in Escudero, who lofted a cross Sarabia met decisively with a bullet header.

The goal ended Schmeichel's remarkable streak of keeping opponents out in the Champions League, according to Squawka Football:

Schmeichel may have conceded, but he was far from at fault for the goal. Instead, James Sharpe of the Leicester Mercury pinpointed problems further upfield, chiding one midfielder in particular for shirking his defensive chores:

Sevilla kept the pressure on after going ahead, committing numbers forward and moving the ball at pace. Leicester were struggling to deal with Sevilla's high press, and when right-back Danny Simpson was robbed by Vitolo, Correa stung Schmeichel's palm with a terrific low shot.

BBC 5 live Sport emphasised the difference in possession, with pundit Phil Neville waxing lyrical about the quality of Sevilla's pressing:

Somehow, Leicester's players managed to hold on until the break they must have been dreaming about.

Sevilla's dominance during the first 45 minutes had been close to complete, and it had its roots in the way the hosts owned the ball in the middle of the park. Numbers from Squawka helped highlight how Sevilla won the midfield battle conclusively:

Meanwhile, Leicester's lack of attacking impetus was summed up by misfiring striker Vardy's lack of involvement, per OptaJoe:

The pattern of the game didn't change much when the second half got underway. Sevilla still probed relentlessly, stitched together passes and creating shooting chances with nifty one-twos.

Vitolo tested Schmeichel from distance, before the lively Sarabia nearly caught him out with a clever reverse shot dragged barely inches wide of his near post. The signs were there that another Sevilla goal was imminent, though.

It came just after the hour mark when classy striker Stevan Jovetic brilliantly controlled a long pass before holding off Morgan and fellow centre-back Robert Huth. Jovetic then flicked a cute reverse pass into the path of Correa who thundered his shot off the bar and into the net for 2-0.

Correa scored, but Jovetic's flair made the difference. He's always had an eye for a pass, a quality the 27-year-old has showed off frequently since arriving on loan from Inter Milan, per the Champions League official Twitter account:

Jovetic summed up Sevilla's control, but the home side may have become too comfortable after the second goal. Leicester made them pay for dropping off the pace when substitute Demarai Gray rolled a superb pass into the path of midfielder Danny Drinkwater.

The playmaker then whipped a devilish ball across the box for an alert Vardy to tap in and claim an invaluable away goal. In the process, Vardy broke his duck in Europe's premier club competition, according to WhoScored.com:

Sevilla went close inside the final 10 minutes when centre-back Adil Rami headed off the bar, but Leicester generally held their shape well and slowed the pace of the game.

It means the battling Foxes can still feel confident ahead of the second leg at the King Power Stadium in two weeks' time. City were outclassed in Spain, but Vardy's away goal is sure to have Sevilla nervy in Leicester.

Post-Match reaction

Sevilla boss Sampaoli was amazed by the difference in quality between the two teams, according to Kieran Canning of Agence France Presse:

Jovetic also sounded shocked Sevilla hadn't made their superiority truly count but made it clear the squad will be determined to do better at the King Power, per La Liga's Twitter account:

As for Ranieri, he expressed his delight at clinching a crucial away goal. The Italian also spelled out how that finish can inspire improvement from his struggling side, per Sharpe:

Ranieri is right to be confident, but he'll also know City will need to start better in the second leg or risk again being overwhelmed by Sevilla's relentless press and slick passing.