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Against all odds: Leicester last English team in Champions League

Reuters / Darren Staples Livepic

When Gianluca Rocchi blew the whistle Wednesday on the precipice of the 94th minute at the Stade Louis II, it confirmed a shocking reality: Leicester City is the only English club left in the Champions League.

For a club that has made a habit of the improbable, it's a fitting progression for the Foxes.

After Leroy Sane roofed a 71st-minute goal after Danijel Subasic parried away a Raheem Sterling strike into the path of the emerging German star, it appeared as if Leicester would have company.

Tiemoue Bakayoko handed Monaco a vital third goal 13 minutes from time to send Manchester City packing a week after Bayern Munich cemented the inevitable by destroying Arsenal 5-1 at the Emirates for a one-sided 10-2 aggregate victory.

On the heels of Leicester's stunning 2-0 win over Sevilla Tuesday at the King Power Stadium, Craig Shakespeare's lot become the eighth English team to make the last eight of Europe's top-tier tournament, joining Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Leeds.

For those who fancy coincidence in football, Shakespeare's predecessor, Claudio Ranieri, has managed four of the eight teams in the quarter-final, with spells at Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Monaco, before leading the Foxes to a stunning Premier League title.

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