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Leicester City beat Villarreal as Steve Cooper gives 24 players pre-season

Pirineus
Leicester City beat Villarreal as Steve Cooper gives 24 players pre-season

Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi scored as Leicester City beat Villarreal 2-1 behind closed doors on Saturday.

Billed as a training exercise ahead of their first competitive pre-season match at Shrewsbury on Tuesday, City and their Spanish opponents played four 30-minute periods, allowing Steve Cooper to give game time to at least 24 players. With a win also assured, it ended City’s training camp in Evian-les-Bains on a high.




Vardy captained the team that started the match at the Stade Camille Fournier and also opened the scoring. James Justin raced down the left flank onto Harry Souttar’s quick pass and crossed the ball, where Vardy was on hand to finish first time.

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Villarreal quickly equalised, with Souttar turning into his own net. Attempting to cut out a pass across the six-yard box, the Australian international slid inside, inadvertently kicking the ball off the line.

In the second hour, City changed their entire 11, and they grabbed a winner. Conor Coady kicked a long ball over the top, with Mavididi expertly bringing it down. He waited for support, but then went it alone, curling into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Tuesday’s game at Croud Meadow will reveal more details about City’s formation, but highlights from Saturday’s test suggested they were lining up in a 4-4-2 out of possession but potentially with wingers in possession.

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