ECL: Iheanacho optimistic Leicester will beat Roma

After their defeat against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho is optimistic Leicester City will beat Roma in the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League match slated for the Roma Olympic Stadium on Thursday.

The first leg ended 1-1.

Iheanancho told Leicester TV that Leicester City will focus on picking up positive results in their upcoming games following Sunday's 3-1 reverse at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Foxes left north London empty-handed, despite a strong showing in both halves. A brace from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane’s opener ultimately sealed three points for Spurs, with Iheanacho on target late on.

Although Iheanacho was frustrated with the result, the Super Eagles forward knows there’s plenty of room for optimism after a commendable performance.

“We are really disappointed in the game,” he said. “We lost, and obviously, we played well in both halves. But what changed the course was the goals. We’re always together when we win and when we lose, so we won’t dwell. We’ll move forward, and hopefully, we’ll sort that out and focus on the next games.

Our supporters always support us, in good and bad situations. They’re always there for us. We’ll keep going and keep giving them our best and hopefully we’ll get something for them on Thursday

 “We were getting in the right positions and moving the ball quite well. [The goals] changed the course of the game. That’s what we need to correct. We won’t dwell on it, we need to focus and concentrate on the next game.”

Over 3,000 members of the Blue Army travelled to the capital, and while Iheanacho’s goal gave them something to cheer late on, the ultimate target now will be to beat Roma in Italy on Thursday. They face the Serie A side in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League after drawing the first leg 1-1.

Discussing his goal, he said: “I had a shot in the first half and, in the second half, I took the ball quite well, I shifted it and saw the space and put it there. We lost today, the goal came late, so we won’t dwell on it. We need to get back now, we have a big game on Thursday.

“We have a good squad, we can change things around. Hopefully, it will work quite well for us. They have a strong team, but we’re looking to get to the final.

“Our supporters always support us, in good and bad situations. They’re always there for us. We’ll keep going and keep giving them our best and hopefully we’ll get something for them on Thursday.