Copenhagen vs Leicester: Claudio Ranieri hails Kasper Schmeichel's heroics on ‘horrible’ pitch

Copenhagen-born Schmeichel denied the Danish champions a late victory in the Parken Stadium with a dramatic 90th minute save to keep out Andreas Cornelius’s close range header

Kasper Schmeichel's fine form helped Leicester secure a point in Copenhagen (Getty)

Claudio Ranieri hailed Kasper Schmeichel for securing a Champions League point for Leicester City on a ‘horrible’ pitch against FC Copenhagen in Denmark.

Copenhagen-born Schmeichel denied the Danish champions a late victory in the Parken Stadium with a dramatic 90th minute save to keep out Andreas Cornelius’s close range header.

The point leaves the Premier League champions needing just a point from two remaining Group G games against Club Brugge and FC Porto to ensure qualification for the knock-out stages.

And Ranieri admitted that Schmeichel’s contribution was crucial as Leicester became the first Champions League debutant to keep clean sheets in their first four games in the competition.

“Kasper made a very good save at the end, the only shot, because the rest were from distance,” Ranieri said. “He had one shot to save, but it was a very important save.

“Kasper is fantastic. I have coached a lot of champions and I don’t want to say who is the best, but he is a good one and he is having a very good season.

“Copenhagen put us under pressure all match, but of course Kasper is a good keeper and he was ready to save us today and in the first-leg.

“This is my second year and he always makes a good performance. I’m very happy with him.”

With Copenhagen unbeaten at home since losing to Jablonec in a Europa League qualifier in August 2015 – the Danes have only ever lost one home group game in the Champions League – Leicester’s challenge to win a fourth successive game was always going to be a tall order.

Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for his goalkeeper (Getty)

But their task was made more difficult by the surface at the Parken, which was only re-laid last month following a Justin Bieber concert in early October.

“The pitch is horrible, for us and for them,” Ranieri said. “We slipped a lot and it was very dangerous, but fortunately all my players are ok and nobody is injured.

“We trained on it on Tuesday and I said to the players, ‘Be careful, choose the right shoes because you can slip.’

“Two or three times, it was very dangerous for us, but only in the sense of mistakes being made.

“The pitch was soft and not really flat, but we showed good character and good personality and I am satisfied – clean sheet, one point, it’s ok.”

With Leicester failing to claim the victory that would have assured them of top spot in Group G, Ranieri insists that the focus must now shift to regaining momentum with a win at home to Brugge in three weeks’ time.

“Now our mind is about Bruges,” Ranieri said. “Porto is three points behind us and there is a big challenge between them and Copenhagen.

“Brugge are down, but they want to do something, so it is not easy. But we want to get three points so we can go to Porto at the top of the group.”