New Delhi:
Leicester City's Champions League adventure ended on a disappointing note at the quarter-final stage despite giving a tough fight to Atletico Madrid. Jamie Vardy's scored the first goal of the match gave the English champions Leicester hope of something special before Saul Niguez's first-half header transferred the advantage towards Atletico.
Although Leicester created numerous chances and dominated for much of the game at the King Power Stadium, their problems were compounded after Saul Niguez's 26th-minute header added to Atletico's one-goal advantage from the first leg in Madrid.
A 1-1 draw ensured that Leicester had to exit the Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate loss to Atletico. In an exhilarating conclusion at the King Power Stadium, Leicester harried Atletico but was left frustrated as Diego Simeone's well-drilled defense got bodies in the way of shots.
Whether Leicester returns to the competition in the near future appears unlikely. But this is a club that was in the third-tier nine years ago. On the basis of that improbable and rapid climb, little will seem impossible for the years or generations to come at Leicester.
However, for now Leicester's players will have to get used to a more mundane reality returning to a club slipping out of the limelight, in the shadows of more illustrious English counterparts. The enchanting exploits they produced on the field, will live on.
