Leicester City vs Porto: 'Dragon Slayer' Islam Slimani continues Foxes' dream Champions League start

Leicester City 1 Porto 0: Slimani wins it with his seventh goal in seven games against Porto

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It costs close to £30m to hire a dragon slayer nowadays, but after Islam Slimani maintained Leicester’s 100 per cent Champions League record with the winning goal against FC Porto, the Algerian club record signing is already proving to be worthy every single penny.

Slimani, a £29.8m deadline day signing from Sporting Lisbon, arrived at the King Power Stadium with a goal-a-game record against Porto, who were probably delighted to see the back of him when he left Portugal for the Premier League.

But with Leicester being paired with Jose Mourinho’s old club in Group G, it was clearly written in the stars that Slimani would live up to his ‘dragon slayer’ nickname by scoring once again against Porto to put Claudio Ranieri’s team in full control of their Champions League destiny.

Slimani, a rampaging bull of a centre-forward, gave Leicester the lead on 29 minutes with a header from Riyad Mahrez’s cross.

From that point on, Ranieri’s team rarely looked like throwing away their advantage and they now face a double header with FC Copenhagen that will lead to qualification for the knock-out stages if they secure four points from the two games.

Having taken to the Champions League stage like seasoned performers in their opening Group G fixture against Club Brugge two weeks ago, when Ranieri’s team cruised to a 3-0 victory in Belgium, there was a sense within the club that two-time European champions Porto would provide a truer welcome to the competition at the King Power Stadium.

Porto, held at home by FC Copenhagen on matchday one, are Champions League perennials, a club well-versed in the demands of playing among Europe’s elite.

But this was Leicester’s big opening night, the club’s first-ever Champions League fixture on home turf, and they were determined to squeeze out every ounce of atmosphere inside one of the country’s most raucous stadiums.

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It was perhaps indulgent on the part of club owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, to have his face plastered over the front cover of the matchday programme – Ranieri was nowhere to be seen – but the Thai billionaire has played a huge part in ensuring the city is able to play host to a Champions League competitor, so maybe he deserved his unusual tribute.

Yet Srivaddhanaprabha was not going to influence matters on the pitch against Porto, that would be down to Ranieri and his players, and they did not fall short.

The victory in Bruges showcased the best of Leicester, with the team’s pace on the counter-attack overcoming the Belgian champions.

And despite suffering a 4-1 defeat at Manchester United at the weekend, when Leicester’s defensive frailties re-surfaced again, Ranieri’s players were determinedly front foot against Porto and the visitors struggled to cope in a frantic first-half.

Both teams went close in the early stages before Slimani reinforced his grip on Nuno Espirito Santo’s team by opening the scoring with his seventh goal in seven appearances against Sporting’s northern rivals.

Marc Albrighton’s crossfield pass to Riyad Mahrez stretched the Porto back four to breaking point before the Algerian winger floated a cross in the six yard box.

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Jamie Vardy failed to connect, but Slimani, charging in at the far post, held off the challenge of centre-half Andre Andre (corr) to head into the net.

The scourge of Porto had struck again and the goal was just reward for Leicester’s vibrant start to the game.

Porto were dazed by the frenetic pace of Ranieri’s team, but they went close to equalising on 35 minutes when Migue Layun flashed a free-kick wide of Kasper Schmeichel’s right-hand post.

Porto’s failure to defeat Copenhagen in Estadio do Dragao had raised the stakes ahead of this fixture, with further dropped points increasing the club’s prospects of missing out on a top two finish.

And the urgency required to drag themselves back into the game was evident early in the second-half, with tackles being challenged for more robustly and more adventure displayed on the break.

But aside from an Alex Telles free-kick which sailed over Schmeichel’s crossbar, Porto struggled to give Leicester genuine cause for concern.

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And it was Leicester who looked the more threatening in front of goal, with Mahrez forcing Casillas into a full-stretch save from a 20 –yard strike on 59 minutes.

Porto upped the tempo in the closing stages, with Diogo Jota and Hector Herrera forcing good saves from Schmeichel.

Jesus Corona then rattled the post on 83 minutes as Leicester retreated to defend their lead, but despite their late surge, the dragons were only blowing smoke.

Leicester held firm and their remarkable story continues.