London (AFP)

Leicester beat Southampton (1-0) at Wembley on Sunday to reach the FA Cup final, for the first time in its history, in front of the presence of 4,000 spectators at the stadium, a first since December.

The return of the public for this second semi-final marked a new stage in the slow recovery of social life, six days after the reopening of non-essential businesses.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented it above all as an experiment aimed at ensuring the secure reopening of major sporting or musical events, without a health passport at first.

Access to the stadium is subject to drastic conditions: a negative PCR test, as well as an antigen test before the match, and a new test at most five days after the match, wearing a mask remaining compulsory.

These guests, mostly healthcare workers, or residents of Brent County, north-west London, struggled to be heard amid the 90,000 seats at the huge Wembley. Their most striking demonstration came after the minute of silence dedicated to Prince Philip, with a few seconds of heavy applause. Even though hundreds of people rose to celebrate the game's sole purpose, the mood remained relatively neutral.

We will have to wait another week and the League Cup final to see real supporters at Wembley: 8,000 supporters from Tottenham and Manchester City will be present on Sunday 25 April.

The FA Cup final on May 15 is expected to bring together 21,000 people, including several thousand from Leicester.

- Minimalist show -

Perhaps disturbed by the presence of spectators, which has become unusual, and especially by the stake of a place in the final of the cup, the two teams gave themselves little in the first period.

Launched by Tielemans, Jamie Vardy missed a big opportunity in the 33rd minute, hampered by a good exit from Forster.

The formation of Brendan Rodgers, current third in the Premier League, failed to unbalance Southampton, the third worst defense in the league.

The Saints, for their part, remained very careful and did not shoot once on goal.

They tried to play higher back from the locker room, and paid dearly for it with a counterattack led by Vardy, whose cross found Kelechi Iheanacho.

The Nigerian did it twice to open the scoring (1-0, 55th).

Southampton's reaction was immediate, but imprecise, including two long shots from Ibrahima Diallo, the second grazing the left corner of Kasper Schmeichel (64th).

Brendan Rodgers strengthened his midfield with the comebacks of Albrighton and Maddison, which allowed the Foxes to stifle their opponents' ambitions.

With a little success, Maddison (77th, 79th) and Iheanacho (90th + 2) could have sheltered them.

Leicester fans can dream of the first FA Cup in their history, five years after winning a historic English league title.

Their last Cup final dates back to 1969. They have meanwhile won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2000.

© 2021 AFP