Rodgers Defends Iheanacho’s Penalty Miss
Says ‘he hits five out of five’ in training
Despite fluffing his lines in Leicester City’s one-all draw with Crystal Palace on Monday, Nigeria international, Kelechi Iheanacho, has received surprise backing from an unexpected quarters.
The missed penalty effort notwithstanding, Manager Brendan Rodgers insists Iheanacho was the right choice to take the Foxes’ spot kick against Palace on the night.
The King Power Stadium outfit were awarded a penalty after James Tomkins brought down Luke Thomas in the box during their 1-1 draw against the Eagles in Monday’s Premier League game.
And the Super Eagles’ striker was handed the opportunity to take the spot-kick, but his tamely effort was saved by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
The Nigeria international failed effort at converting the spot-kick saw the Foxes ending up with shared points against the Eagles
Wilfried Zaha then went on to open scoring in the encounter for Crystal Palace before Harvey Barnes’ important equalizer aided the Foxes to avoid defeat.
But stoutly defending Ihenacho’s choice, Coach Rodgers confirmed that the Super Eagles forward has proven his suitability to take the Foxes’ penalty in training, and encouraged him to put the disappointment behind.
“I said at half time, it was one you have to let go of. He practiced yesterday and hit five out of five, so he was confident, but it is just one of those things,” Rodgers told Amazon Prime.
In spite of the draw, Leicester still maintain the second spot on the Premier League table after gathering 29 points from 16 games.
Iheanacho is gradually establishing himself at the King Power Stadium, having struggled for consistency since his arrival at the club.
The centre-forward teamed up with the Foxes in the summer of 2017 from Manchester City and has now made 78 Premier League appearances, scoring 28 goals.
In the current campaign, the 24-year-old has scored three goals and provided four assists in 15 appearances across all competitions.
He will hope to deliver a better performance when Leicester face Newcastle United in the next Premier League game on Sunday, January 3, 2021.
Iheanacho’s recent form earned him a return to the Nigeria national team after missing their Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Egypt, where the Super Eagles finished third with a bronze medal placing.
So far, he has remained a prominent figure for the three-time African champions in their recent friendlies and AFCON qualifiers. – With Goal.com reports
