Leicester City have got their maiden Champions League campaign off to the perfect start thanks to a 3-0 win over Club Brugge in Wednesday's Group G tie at the Jan Breydel Stadium.
Marc Albrighton opened the scoring for the visitors by nipping in and bundling home after a mistake from goalkeeper Ludovic Butelle, while Riyad Mahrez added a second from a free kick to take a two-goal lead into the break.
The Belgian champions suffered from indiscipline at the back and were punished once again when Butelle brought down Jamie Vardy to concede a penalty, which Mahrez slotted to give the Foxes an emphatic win.
Here is how Sports Mole covered the action in Belgium.
Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text commentary of the Champions League Group G game between Club Brugge and Leicester City!
Well, here we are! Today is the day that the Foxes begin their journey in Europe's premier club competition - if you'd have asked Leicester fans a year ago whether they could imagine their team lining up in the Champions League as Premier League champions in September 2016, the answer would probably have been a resounding "no way". But today, the fairytale continues for the Foxes, starting in Belgium!
Without further ado, let's have a look at the team news, beginning with Leicester...
LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel, Hernandez, Huth, Morgan (c), Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Albrighton, Slimani, Vardy
LEICESTER SUBS: Zieler, Chilwell, Musa, King, Gray, Ulloa, Wasilewski
Claudio Ranieri has made two changes to the side that lost 4-1 at Liverpool last weekend.
Luis Hernandez comes in for the injured Danny Simpson at right-back, while there's a debut for Algerian £29m striker Islam Slimani, with Shinji Okazaki dropping out of the squad.
CLUB BRUGGE STARTING XI: Butelle, Van Rhijn, Engels, Denswil, De Bock, Simons, Vormer, Pina, Vanaken, Diaby, Izquierdo
BRUGGE SUBS: Bruzzese, Poulain, Claudemir, Vossen, Gedoz, Cools, Bolingoli
Michel Preud'homme, meanwhile, has made four changes to his side from their 1-0 defeat at Waasland-Beveren last week.
Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, Benoit Poulain, Claudemir and Felipe Gedoz all drop to the bench for the Belgian champions, with Laurens De Bock, Bjorn Engels, Pina and Jose Izquierdo taking their places in the starting XI instead.
So how did tonight's teams qualify for the competition? Well, unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you will know how Leicester fared - their remarkable achievements last term saw them qualify for the Champions League in April with five Premier League fixtures still to play.
Hosts Club Brugge, meanwhile, booked their spot in the 2016-17 Champions League after coasting to a 14th Jupiler Pro League title last term.
This time out, however, things haven't been quite so straightforward for either side. The Foxes have been brought back down to earth over the last few weeks following an indifferent start to the domestic campaign, with a shock opening-day defeat against a depleted Hull City side and a thrashing at the hands of Liverpool putting a spanner in the works.
Leicester had previously not lost successive games since February 2015, so there will be an air of caution around the air tonight for the Foxes, whose critics claim they have not been able to replace N'Golo Kante in the centre of the park after he left for Chelsea in the summer.
Brugge have also had a difficult start to the new campaign, losing three of their opening five fixtures, including the 1-0 defeat to Waasland-Beveren - who finished 12th out of 16 in the league in 2015-16 - last time out.
Although it may be a foray into the unknown for Leicester, their boss is very much at home in the Champions League. This is the sixth campaign for Ranieri, who led Chelsea to the semi-finals in 2004, and it's with his sixth different club (Chelsea, Valencia, Juventus, Roma, Inter and now Leicester).
If that wasn't reassuring for the Foxes faithful, Ranieri's record of reaching the knockout stages is also pretty decent - he has steered his team into the knockout phase four times in five attempts; the only group stage exit was with Valencia in 2004-05.
Nonetheless, the experienced Italian does not waver when it comes to keeping expectations down. At his pre-match press conference, he said: "It's impossible to win the Champions League. There are so many big teams. To win it we have to write another fairytale."
The Leicester fans, however, will not mind one bit. Given what they achieved last season, they are simply enjoying what is proving to be an exhilarating ride. The chants of "Campeones" and "We're all going on a European tour" around the Jan Breydel Stadium, the Champions League music... the Foxes fans are loving life at the minute!
Ranieri has been happy to leave the beating of the war drums to his players. Striker Jamie Vardy has said: "We definitely want to make a mark in this tournament. We want to give it a good go. I think if we play anywhere near how we have played, especially all last season, then why can't we?"
Wes Morgan, meanwhile, continues to believe in the fairytale - when asked by reporters if Leicester can win the Champions League, his reply was to the point: "Why not? No-one thought we would win the Premier League."
Just over ten minutes to go until what will be a historic kickoff - the players are warming up at the moment.
WARM UPS: We are fast approaching kick-off here in Bruges as #lcfc start their #UCL campaign. #CluLei pic.twitter.com/5npwnbJK9o — Leicester City (@LCFC) 14 September 2016
SCORE PREDICTION: Time for me to have a go at predicting tonight's result. It's a toughie, given the enormity of the occasion for Leicester, as well as playing away, but I think the visitors will have more than enough quality to see off Brugge - it'll be tight though. 2-1 win for Ranieri's side.
So then! Just a few minutes until Leicester's first EVER Champions League campaign gets underway - it's a historic night for the East Midlands club and their fans, who cannot believe that they're hearing the Champions League anthem live, as champions of England.
The players are out - Leicester in white with a thin blue stripe, hosts Brugge in their home blue jersey.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Jan Breydel Stadium - champions of Belgium against champions of England!
CHANCE! The hosts very nearly take the lead after just a few minutes as the Leicester back line is caught napping and Izquierdo races forward, but his shot flies wide of Schmeichel's goal. A massive let-off for the visitors.
GOAL! CLUB BRUGGE 0-1 LEICESTER CITY (MARC ALBRIGHTON)
And just a few minutes after Leicester fall behind, they have made the most of a Brugge mistake to score their first EVER Champions League goal! Hernandez sends a long throw into the danger zone, goalkeeper Butelle cannot keep hold of the ball, and Albrighton is there to tap home into the empty net! Bedlam in the away end!
It's all Leicester now as Mahrez sends a teasing cross into the area, but Butelle intercepts the ball, and moments later, Albrighton aims for Mahrez, but he can't beat his man and the move breaks down.
Fuchs delivers a throw-in, Mahrez gets onto the end of the ball and finds Amartey, but his cross goes over Vardy's head.
Brugge win a free kick, but Vormer fires straight out of play for a Leicester goal kick. The home side seem to have regrouped as they maintain a spell of pressure, with Van Rhijn trying to get beyond Fuchs, but the Foxes man clears the danger.
Now Leicester manage to break as Vardy marauds forward with Slimani just ahead of him - the England man decides to go it alone rather than utilise his teammate, and the move is thwarted by Engels.
The pace has dropped a bit after the explosive start to the match at the Jan Breydel Stadium, with Leicester perfectly poised to play their usual, composed game thanks to their early lead.
Morgan reacts well in the box to connect with Albrighton's corner from the right-hand side, but the skipper's header loops over the bar.
A dangerous spell from Brugge now as they force a corner, but the Leicester defence is able to keep the hosts at bay. Moments later the Belgians try to break down the left flank, but a cross from De Bock is charged down with ease.
Brugge continue to threaten as Izquierdo skips past a number of challenges, but misdirects his shot from the edge of the box.
GOAL! CLUB BRUGGE 0-2 LEICESTER CITY (RIYAD MAHREZ)
What a stunning set piece that was from Mahrez! However, Brugge were architects of their own downfall once again - captain Simons takes out Vardy on the edge of the box to concede a free kick, earning a booking for his troubles that could have easily been a red, and the Algeria international bends the ball beyond a dive from Butelle and into the top-left corner! The Foxes are in cruise control here!
Leicester are happy to take the sting out of the game but continue to probe forward as Vardy is sent a looping pass on the edge of the box - Engels, however, climbs above the striker to head clear.
BOOKING: Another yellow card for Brugge, following Simons's earlier booking, as Engels goes into a tackle on Vardy and is punished for his troubles. Mahrez stands over another free kick...
This time, Mahrez rolls the ball into the path of Drinkwater, who rifles from 30-odd yards, but it flies into the arms of Butelle and the hosts can regroup.
Izquierdo tries to cause more problems for Leicester down the left-hand side, but Albrighton tracks back to thwart the Colombian forward. The Foxes are holding up well at the back and are likely to take their two-goal lead into the break.
Mahrez and Slimani link up well together, with the former taking hold of a ball on the edge of the box - he flashes an instinctive shot towards goal, but it appear to deflect off Simons and fly inches wide of the left post. A goal kick is given.
CHANCE! Very nearly goal number three for Leicester and it would have been a dynamic one - Mahrez's corner is cleared by Vanaken, but the ball rebounds into the path of Drinkwater from about 40 yards out. He strikes it with sheer ferocity and is only kept out by a fingertip save from Butelle.
Now it's Brugge's turn to threaten as Van Rhijn tries to clip a cross in from the right, but Amartey covers across to make a good block.
HALF TIME: CLUB BRUGGE 0-2 LEICESTER CITY
Leicester's first ever 45 minutes in the Champions League have been impressive to say the least. After surviving an early scare against Brugge, they made the most of a back line hiccup to take the lead via Marc Albrighton, withstood some pressure from the hosts, and struck a second via Riyad Mahrez's sweetly struck free kick at the half-hour mark.
In all fairness, the Foxes could be running away with this - from Danny Drinkwater's 35-yard rocket to Mahrez's effort that flew just wide via a deflection, as well as a Jamie Vardy chance in first-half injury time, it would not have been a surprise if the visitors were three or four goals to the good.
Brugge are also lucky to still have 11 men on the field as Timmy Simons's tackle on Vardy on the edge of the area could have easily been a dismissal. It was just a yellow in the end, but the feeling among the home fans seems to be along the lines of things getting worse in the second half.
Marc Albrighton has certainly earned his place among the Leicester City annals with his strike - the first ever for the club in the Champions League. Crazy to think that the Foxes were within a whisker of dropping down to the Championship just over a year ago. Fine margins and all that eh?
1 - Marc Albrighton is the first Leicester player to score in European competition since Muzzy Izzet in September 2000. Moment. — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) 14 September 2016
In the other Group G game, Porto are leading Copenhagen 1-0, and with regards to how the other English sides are faring tonight, Manchester City lead Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0, while Tottenham Hotspur are 2-1 down against Monaco at Wembley.
KICKOFF: We're back underway at the Jan Breydel Stadium - can Leicester finish the job, or will Brugge mount a fightback? Stay tuned to Sports Mole and let's find out!
Leicester start brightly as Mahrez breaks past a number of challenges, but he puts too much on his pass, which was intended for Vardy.
Now the hosts break down the right, with Van Rhijn whipping in a cross that Hernandez sends over his own crossbar. The resulting set piece is met by Denswil, but his header comes to nothing.
BOOKING: There's a break in play now as Engels is given medical treatment after a collision with Slimani, who goes into the book for his troubles. The Brugge man is helped to the touchline - he looks to be in agony.
SUBSTITUTION: Bjorn Engels is rushed down the tunnel to determine whether he can continue - he could have a dislocated shoulder - but the decision is made to replace him, with Benoit Poulain coming on in his place.
Brugge don't seem to have got out of second gear in this half as De Bock makes a run down the left and waits for a ball to be sent his way, but Pina lashes a pass straight out of play for a throw-in.
Slimani, Vardy and Albrighton are all involved in a move down the right but as the latter crosses, Butelle gathers well before Vardy can get there.
Schmeichel makes his first save of the evening as Izquierdo is able to get a shot in, but the ball trickles towards the Foxes stopper, who saves with ease.
CHANCE! So sloppy from Brugge as Poulain tries to pass back to his goalkeeper and it's poor, allowing Slimani to get to the ball, but Butelle gets a foot to it before his defender gets back to clear the danger properly.
PENALTY! Leicester have a chance to make it three as more havoc at the back sees Butelle bring down Vardy, and referee Anasthasios Sidiropoulos blows a whistle for a penalty, plus a yellow for the goalie! Mahrez to take the spot kick...
GOAL! CLUB BRUGGE 0-3 LEICESTER CITY (RIYAD MAHREZ, PENALTY)
No mistake from Mahrez, who slots the ball straight down the middle and into the back of the net. Absolutely emphatic from the visitors, and the other teams in the competition are sure to take notice.
SUBSTITUTIONS: A change for each side as Leonardo Ulloa replaces Slimani for Leicester, while Brugge get Diaby to make way for Jelle Vossen.
OFF THE POST! So close to a first goal of the night for Brugge as Denswil plays in Izquierdo on the left of the box - the Colombian places a shot beyond Schmeichel, but it strikes the far post and goes out of play!
More pressure from the hosts now as Denswill ventures forward from the back, collects a pass at the edge of the box and lets rip towards the bottom left corner of the net, but Schmeichel is equal to it.
SUBSTITUTION: Leicester make their second change of the evening as Vardy is replaced by Ahmed Musa in a like-for-like switch.
CHANCE! Almost four for Leicester as Hernandez sends another long throw-in towards the box and it pings off the head of Huth, but the ball ends into Butelle's arms.
There is a break in play as Musa is down after an aerial collision with Denswil, but the Leicester summer signing is able to get up and continue.
And once again, Brugge's defence is left wanting as Albrighton is able to get a cross away at the back post - the hosts are lucky this time as the ball goes over Mahrez's head.
SUBSTITUTION: Izquierdo, arguably Brugge's best player on the night, sees his shift come to an end as Felipe Gedoz comes on in his place.
Vossen attempts to find the head of one of his teammates with a cross into the box, but the Leicester defence outjumps the home attackers and gets the ball out for a corner. Many of the Brugge fans are already heading for the exits.
De Bock whips a corner for the hosts but Fuchs clears before Musa goes on the break and seeks to get the ball into the path of Mahrez. The Brugge defence, however, is able to get the ball out, and it's a corner for Leicester.
SUBSTITUTION: Riyad Mahrez, Leicester's two-goal hero on the night, is taken off to rapturous applause from the Foxes fans. Demarai Gray comes on his place.
CHANCE! Once again, Leicester are pounding on the Brugge door, as the towering Huth sends a header from the set piece just wide.
CHANCE! Surely it's only a matter of time before Leicester get goal number four? Gray races forward on a swift counterattack, but his effort climbs just over the bar. At the other end, Morgan heroically denies Vossen on the line.
More impressive play from Gray as he dispossesses the Brugge defender and finds Musa on the right of the box, but the Nigerian is flagged for offside.
BOOKING: Substitute Ulloa goes into the book for a sloppy challenge on Brugge goalkeeper Butelle as four minutes of stoppage time are announced.
FULL TIME: CLUB BRUGGE 0-3 LEICESTER CITY
Claudio Ranieri could not ask for a better start to Leicester City's Champions League campaign as the Foxes claim an emphatic 3-0 win over Club Brugge in Belgium, much to the delight of the visiting fans.
Marc Albrighton opened the scoring for the visitors by nipping in and bundling home after a mistake from goalkeeper Ludovic Butelle and Riyad Mahrez added a second from a free kick to take a two-goal lead into the break - Mahrez then struck his side's third from a penalty to comfortably take all three points back to Leicester.
That's all we have time for tonight from the Jan Breydel Stadium - we hope you enjoyed tonight's commentary! Thank you for following Sports Mole and we hope to see you again very soon!
Written by
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte
