Sevilla triumph as good as Leicester´s Premier League title, says Shakespeare

Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare feels reaching the Champions League quarter-finals is comparable to the club’s stunning Premier League title success last season.

Shakespeare’s side shocked Sevilla – winners of the Europa League in the last three seasons – with a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday, sealing a famous 3-2 aggregate triumph.

Leicester subsequently joined continental heavyweights Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Real Madrid in the last eight.

And even though their title 2015-16 success shocked the world at pre-season odds of 5,000/1, Shakespeare feels their latest achievement is on a par given the stature of Sevilla.

Shakespeare said: “It will be memorable for everyone at the football club, myself included.

“It has to stand right up there with all our achievements because of the quality of the opposition.

“Of course it is only over two games and when you win a league it is over 38 games, but I think [with] the quality of the opposition, this deserves to stand right up there.

“We knew it would be tough when the draw was made. Everyone said, ‘Ooh, Sevilla’. We know what they are about.

“The supporters who got behind us from the first minute, especially the players who I thought were outstanding, but everyone associated with the club can be proud of that performance.

“We are in there on merit. Make no mistake about that.”

We wish @LCFC the best of luck in the @ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/V0l9JmMSTL

— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) March 14, 2017

Shakespeare also spared a thought for former manager Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked last month despite leading Leicester to the title.

“Claudio will always be fondly remembered by everyone at this football club for what he achieved and helped us achieve,” said Shakespeare. 

“The performance in the first leg when Claudio was in charge, that gave us the springboard for the result.”