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London - Third-tier Millwall's FA Cup giant killing act
continued on Saturday as they stunned struggling Premier League champions
Leicester City 1-0 in a major fifth-round upset.
Having previously eliminated Premier League opponents
Bournemouth and Watford, the League One side claimed a third top-flight scalp
by toppling Leicester at The Den thanks to a last-minute goal by defender Shaun
Cummings.
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri made 10 changes to his
starting XI, but Millwall had to play with 10 men for 40 minutes after Jake
Cooper was sent off for two bookable offences.
"This sums up the FA Cup," said Millwall manager
Neil Harris. "It doesn't happen by chance. We are on a great run and have
great spirit.
"When we went to 10 men it galvanised us. There was
more pressure on Leicester. I made attacking changes to win the game because
neither of us wanted a replay. When we needed that bit of quality, Shaun
Cummings provided it.
"I thought the atmosphere was electric. The noise was
phenomenal. These are special days for us. The fans feed off the players and
players off the fans."
It is the latest embarrassing result to befall Leicester,
who lie just one place and one point above the Premier League relegation zone
after a run of five successive defeats.
Ranieri, who has faced questions about his position, must
now rouse his players for next week's trip to Sevilla in the club's first ever
Champions League knockout game.
"I am very disappointed," Ranieri said.
"We played well in the first half, so-so at the
beginning of the second until it went to 10 v 11. After then, they played
better than us, with more desire and heart, and deserved to win."
Millwall have reached the quarter-finals for the second time
in five seasons, having reached the semi-finals in 2013. The southeast London
club made the final in 2004, losing 3-0 to Manchester United.
They have eliminated three top-flight teams from the FA Cup
within the same season for the first time since 1936-37 and beaten the reigning
top-tier champions for the first time since 1927.
Cooper received his first booking late in the first half
after clashing with Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler following a
goal-mouth scramble.
Yellow became red six minutes into the second half after he
flew into a rash challenge on Ahmed Musa.
Ranieri called for Jamie Vardy with 18 minutes remaining,
but after Shinji Okazaki had spurned a good chance to win it for Leicester,
Millwall snaffled the winner.
Substitute Lee Gregory chested the ball down for Cummings to slot home, sending Harris's men into the last eight and sparking a jubilant pitch invasion at the full-time whistle.
