Leicester 'pinching themselves' at prospect of Champions League semi-final
Tuesday 18 April 2017 18:45, UK
Craig Shakespeare says Leicester City are still pinching themselves at the prospect of reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
The Foxes will aim to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Atletico Madrid in Tuesday's quarter-final second leg - exactly eight years after winning Sky Bet League One.
On April 18, 2009, Leicester beat Southend 2-0 to claim the League One title thanks to a Matty Fryatt double and now stand on the brink of the Champions League's final four.
Shakespeare was assistant to Nigel Pearson when the Foxes went up and admitted their rise has been the stuff of dreams.
He said: "The focus just has to be on that game, you can look ahead and look back but you have to focus on the here and now.
"Where the club has come from is remarkable and if you had said last year 'you'd win the Premier League and this year be in the quarter-finals and with a chance to be in the semi-finals' everyone would have been pinching themselves."
Leicester lost at the Vicente Calderon last week after referee Jonas Eriksson awarded a controversial penalty after Antoine Griezmann was fouled by Marc Albrighton outside of the area.
Griezmann scored the spot-kick and Shakespeare said last week the referee made a mistake but insisted he has moved on.
"No it's not gnawing away, the referee gave his decision and the last thing the club and players need is me harping on about it," he said.
"We have to get on with it. The referee made his decision - although it's there for everyone to see it's the wrong one. We have to make sure we're ready and focused for the game."
