One of the most memorable Championship games in recent memory took place in Leicester on Tuesday evening. Southampton’s German coach Tonda Eckert also gave a special “fitness update” after the crazy comeback victory.
It was the sixth minute of stoppage time when all hell broke loose at King Power Stadium. Leicester City, already reeling from a six-point deduction, had finally squandered a 3-0 halftime lead. Southampton’s substitute Charles, who came on at halftime for former Nuremberg player Jander, sparked wild celebrations with his 4-3 goal.
Even his German coach sprinted onto the pitch after the seventh goal of the evening. “I only made it halfway,” Eckert explained afterwards on the Saints website, adding with a grin: “I haven’t really had much time for running and going to the gym lately.”
Games like the one on matchday 32 “don’t happen often, especially away from home, so big praise to the lads for their reaction and energy in the second half. It was a crazy game.” The coach, who was only appointed last November, said it was “difficult to find the right words after a game like today.”
“That shows the character of the team”
Leicester, who are in acute danger of relegation after a six-point deduction left them in 21st place, refrained from commenting after the latest devastating event. The winners of the evening had all the more to say. ” We got into the game quite late today, but an incredible second half shows the character of the team, so it’s a great evening,“ said Eckert, who admitted: ”To be honest, I have no explanation for the first half. I’ll take another look at it, but at the moment it’s hard to explain what happened.” However, the reaction is more important for now. With their twelfth win in 32 games and now 46 points, the ninth-placed team is knocking on the door of the promotion zone. Promoted Wrexham, who still have a game in hand, are only one point ahead of the Saints.
At half-time, Eckert had to throw his entire match plan out the window. But the new one worked: “Today, it was all about scoring the first goal in the second half to turn the momentum in our favor, and then we saw it through to the end.”
An interesting side note: On Saturday afternoon (4 p.m.), the two teams will meet again in the fourth round of the FA Cup—this time at St. Mary’s Stadium.