AEK Athens 1-2 Leicester: Jamie Vardy becomes Foxes’ oldest European scorer

Jamie Vardy became Leicester City’s oldest European goalscorer by beating AEK Athens for two wins out of two in the Europa League.

The Foxes looked comfortable when Hamza Choudhury doubled the lead with a clever side spike.

But Muamer Tankovic gave AEK hope after hiding behind the Foxes defense moments after coming off the bench.

The former Fulham player nearly tied two minutes later, but crashed his 10-yard shot over the crossbar.

Cengiz Under, in his first start for Leicester, nearly reestablished the two-goal lead, but his curling effort hit home.

In the end they wouldn’t need another goal.

Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers revealed before the game that defenders Jonny Evans and Timothy Castagne are injured, with the latter likely out until after the international break in November.

Vardy is key again for Leicester

Vardy’s pace and finish make a huge difference for Leicester and it was evident again in the Greek capital.

This was his return to the starting lineup after a calf injury, although he came off the bench at the weekend to score the winning goal against Arsenal.

He made his own history in Athens when he ran into James Maddison’s direct pass and circled the goalkeeper, who dropped him.

Tsintotas got a bunt on Vardy’s pitch, but he was too powerful to stay out.

He holds Wes Morgan’s record as the oldest player to score for Leicester in Europe. Vardy is 33 years and 292 days old, while Morgan was 240 days younger when he scored in the Champions League against Sevilla in March 2017.

The former England striker has won (four) and scored (five) more penalties in all competitions than any other player playing in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Maddison was impressive too, and his corner led to the second goal. AEK Athens failed to clear and Wesley Fofana got the finishing touch before he ran to Choudhury, who finished safely.

AEK have not won a home game in a European group stage in 13 matches for 10 years, but they did put the Foxes to work hard for victory after Tankovic’s spirited appearance in the second half.

‘Launch was horrible’ – manager reaction

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers: “The guys are having to deal with all the injuries and the games and they are still getting great results.

“It was a great victory considering all the circumstances and all the players we are missing. They are still producing and doing very well.

“It was never going to be a fluid game because the field was terrible. It was a surface that the players really couldn’t trust. It was very difficult to play really fluid football.”

Massimo Carrera, Director of AEK: “With the performance of the boys there are mixed feelings. It’s a bit bitter. In the first half we were a bit reserved and in the second we were very decisive.

“What we have to do is work hard on the good points and improve.

“In life and in football you can’t change things and go back in time. We played well in the second half, so there was no need to change anything.”