Football: Vardy Helps Champs Leicester Clinch First Win

Fakhir Rizvi Published August 27, 2016 | 09:46 PM

LEICESTER, United Kingdom, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th August, 2016) - Jamie Vardy scored his first goal of the season as Leicester energised their Premier League title defence with a 2-1 win against Swansea in a torrential thunderstorm on Saturday. Vardy's 32nd-minute strike gave Claudio Ranieri's side a deserved half-time lead and captain Wes Morgan added the Foxes' second goal on 52 minutes at the King Power Stadium. Leroy Fer scored for Swansea with nine minutes remaining but Leicester stood firm for their first win of the season despite Foxes winger Riyad Mahrez having a penalty saved at 2-0. It was the Algerian's third failure in his last four Premier League penalties but it did not cost his side. After defeat at Hull on the opening day of the season and a draw with Arsenal last week, this was the perfect way for Leicester to head into the international break.

Leicester built up a head of steam in the early exchanges and they won a free-kick just outside the Swansea area when Federico Fernandez chopped down Jamie Vardy on his way to goal. Mahrez struck a shot with his left foot but it crept just past Lukasz Fabianski's left-hand post. The momentum was maintained when Vardy used pace and strength to get past Kyle Naughton and to the byline, but the striker's touch let him down and he conceded a goal-kick with two frustrated team-mates waiting for a cross. Gylfi Sigurdsson had a long-range shot saved by Kasper Schmeichel in the Swansea goal before Vardy made up for his earlier frustration with the opening goal. He raced onto a first-time, volleyed pass from Danny Drinkwater and outmuscled Jordi Amat before blasting home a shot off Fabianski's left-hand post.