After 43 almost forgettable shots and a looming penalty shootout between Bournemouth and Leicester City, the winner of this low-quality game was naturally a beautiful one. As extra time approached, substitute Abdel Fataw took charge of the game himself, firing a brilliant left-footed shot into the top corner, earning Leicester City a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals. . This is a welcome boon for Leicester City after experiencing brief setbacks in their bid for the English Championship.
Forward Fatau, on loan from Sporting Lisbon, received a pass from fellow substitute Kelechi Iheanacho on the edge of the penalty area and flicked the ball past Milos Kolquez. Seize the opportunity for Bournemouth to score, and then hit an unstoppable shot. Fatau rushed to the visiting fans spread across the two stands to celebrate. Much of the early wayward behavior was comical, bordering on farce, and kept caddies on their toes throughout.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola wonders what will happen without Dominic Solanke – second only to Erling on the Premier League goalscoring charts Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah – proved costly, with his side missing out on a number of good chances. In the end, the two teams took a total of 49 shots, 10 of which were on target. Alex Scott had his first shot on target after meeting Luis Sinisterra’s cutback, and Solanke’s substitute striker Enes Unal Enes Unal) was unable to divert Kolquez’s shot. Solanke had an MRI scan on a minor knee injury on Tuesday, hours before Unaal was forced off. “This is a bad day for us,” Elora said. “Losing two number nines on the same day is concerning.”
Leicester City have fond memories of this game, having lifted the trophy three years ago under Brendan Rodgers, and while they are looking forward to Wednesday’s draw, it’s clear their priority is to secure a first Trying to get back into the Premier League. Enzo Maresca promised a change and made nine changes, with Hamza Choudhury and Yannick Westergaard both retained in Friday’s defeat to Leeds United Leicester City’s starting spot reduced the gap between leaders and third-placed Ipswich Town to six points.
Leicester arrived on the south coast having lost their first two games but their supporters were quick to remind their top-flight hosts of their recent success. “Hamza Chowdhury, he has won more than you,” they said with a smile. Choudhury, Iheanacho and Mark Albrighton beat Chelsea at Wembley thanks to Youri Tielemans’ long-range strike. Iheanacho started on the bench after representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations. Albrighton came closest to opening the scoring in the first half, hitting the post with a low angled shot from outside the penalty area in the 42nd minute.
In Solanke’s absence, Bournemouth gave Getafe’s on-loan Turkish forward Unal his first start. Unal wasted a header opportunity against Manchester City last weekend, falling awkwardly on his shoulder after an innocuous collision with Connor Coady and was subsequently withdrawn at half-time. Bournemouth’s Argentina international defender Marcos Senesi came close to opening the scoring in bizarre circumstances just five minutes into the second half, when his cross eluded his team-mates and fired towards the far post.
Bournemouth swept Swansea 5-0 in the previous round and while the chance against another second-tier opponent never presented itself, the chances kept growing. The elegant Scott passed the ball to Philippe Billing on the right and his cross caused panic in the Leicester penalty area, but Antoine Semenho failed to deliver the all-important final touch . Moments later, Vestergaard was given a new lease of life by Maresca, who cleared a dangerous cross for a corner. At the other end, Yunus Akgun rushed forward and shot at Mark Travers.
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Dango Ouattara was allowed to pick his spot from distance, only to quickly spin a wayward shot high into the Steve Fletcher stand even with half an hour remaining normal game time, overtime seems inevitable. Soon after, Maresca sent on Iheanacho and Fatau, who would later combine to create the decisive moment. At the same time, both teams missed good opportunities.
Scott brought Semenho into the middle but his shot was blocked and Akgun missed his best chance to avoid another 30-plus minutes with 87 minutes left, before being easily beaten by Chaudhry. Shot high after a slip. However, the 44th shot of the match proved to be the most important shot as Fatau won the match. “We had to take 25 shots to score, and the other 24 shots [shots] Finally in the stands,” said Maresca, smiling at the end of the long night.
