Wesley Fofana made a dream return after seven months out injured as his goal helped Leicester City edge past Rennes and move into the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
Leicester won the first leg 2-0 at the King Power Stadium but their advantage was halved inside eight minutes when Benjamin Bourigeaud finished from Martin Terrier’s low cross.
But 21-year-old central defender Fofana, playing for the first time since breaking a leg in a pre-season friendly against Villarreal in August, then glanced in a header from Ademola Lookman’s corner.
The Frenchman ran and hugged boss Brendan Rodgers in emotional scenes, although that was not the last of the goals.
Rennes regained the lead on the night through substitute Flavien Tait’s low strike into the bottom corner in the 77th minute, with the hosts needing one more goal to force extra-time.
They nearly got it, but Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel made a superb save with his legs to deny Serhou Guirassy in the 85th minute.
The Foxes held on to seal a 3-2 aggregate victory to move into the last eight of a European competition for only the second time in their history, after they lost to Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2017.
The draw for the next round takes place on Friday in Switzerland.
More to follow.
Line-ups
Rennes
Formation 4-3-3
- 40German
- 27I brought
- 23OmariBooked at 90mins
- 6AguerdBooked at 71mins
- 3TruffertSubstituted forMelingat 76′minutes
- twenty-oneMajer
- 28MartinSubstituted forTaitat 58′minutes
- 8Santa Maria
- 14Bourigeaud
- 24The edgeBooked at 47minsSubstituted forTchaounaat 76′minutes
- 7TerrierSubstituted forGuirassyat 68′minutes
substitutes
- 9Guirassy
- 17Tchaouna
- 19Diouf
- twentyTait
- 22Assignon
- 25Meling
- 26Ugochukwu
- 30Bonet
- 39phone
- 41Belocian
- fiftyDamergy
leicester
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Schmeichel
- twoJustin
- 18Amartey
- 3fofanaSubstituted forVestergaardat 78′minutes
- 33Thomas
- 8Tielemanns
- 25NdidiSubstituted forMadisonat 60′minutesBooked at 90mins
- 22Dewsbury-HallBooked at 90mins
- elevenAlbrightonSubstituted forLookmanat 12′minutesSubstituted forRicardo Pereiraat 78′minutes
- 14IheanachoBooked at 90mins
- 7Barnes
substitutes
- 10Madison
- 17Perez
- twentyChoudhury
- twenty-oneRicardo Pereira
- 23Vestergaard
- 35Jakupovic
- 37Lookman
- 51Odunze
- Referee:
- Anastasios Sidiropoulos
LiveText
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Match ends, Rennes 2, Leicester City 1.
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Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card.
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Second Half ends, Rennes 2, Leicester City 1.
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James Maddison (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card.
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Hamari Traoré (Rennes) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City).
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Attempt blocked. Loum Tchaouna (Rennes) header from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Benjamin Bourigeaud with a cross.
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Warmed Omari (Rennes) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Warmed Omari (Rennes).
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Harvey Barnes (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Birger Meling (Rennes) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City).
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Foul by Warmed Omari (Rennes).
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Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt blocked. Birger Meling (Rennes) left footed shot from the center of the box is blocked. Assisted by Benjamin Bourigeaud.
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Foul by Baptiste Santamaría (Rennes).
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James Maddison (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Attempt missed. Baptiste Santamaría (Rennes) right footed shot from the center of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Flavien Tait.
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Corner, Rennes. Awarded by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Reference-www.bbc.co.uk