Club Brugge 0 Leicester 3

As first experiences of the Champions League go, Leicester City are probably entitled to wonder whether it is always this straightforward. It is not, as they will no doubt discover later in the competition, but this was a hugely satisfying way to start their European excursions and a reassuring way to find out there is no need to be apprehensive about taking their place at the top table.

Not every team will be as generous as Club Brugge but it was still striking to see Claudio Ranieri’s side rediscovering the form that won the Premier League last season. Tough at the back, penetrative in attack – this was more in keeping with the story of the English champions, as opposed to the slightly dishevelled performances that have marked out the start of their title defence.

As a result, they have put themselves in a position of strength as they try to add to the statistic that tells us, since 2002, only nine out of the 46 teams playing in the Champions League for the first time have qualified for the knockout rounds. Riyad Mahrez’s confidence should be soothed by his two goals, the first a splendid free-kick, but the entire team ought to be lifted by the way they took control once Marc Albrighton had given them an early lead.

Leicester certainly set off like a team in a hurry. Only five minutes had elapsed when Luis Hernández, playing instead of the injured Danny Simpson at right-back, hurled a long throw into the penalty area. Ludovic Butelle, the Bruges goalkeeper, made a hash of trying to claim the ball in mid-air and instead it flicked off the head of Hans Vanaken towards the far post. Albrighton was inside the six-yard area and free to apply the decisive touch.

It was the kind of goal that demonstrated why the Belgians had lost three of their opening six fixtures in the Jupiler Pro League and a reminder Leicester had been placed in just about as obliging a group as they could possibly have wished. The evening might have taken an entirely different complexion if José Izquierdo had shown more composure when he ran behind Wes Morgan and Robert Huth inside the opening three minutes. Yet his shot was careless, trundling wide of the post, and the same could be said for the rest of the home side’s first-half performance.

The second goal originated from a misplaced pass in the Brugge defence and the captain, Timmy Simons, bringing down Jamie Vardy on the edge of the penalty area, a foul that would presumably have led to a red card, rather than the yellow that was shown, but for the rules being relaxed earlier this year for cases when it is a genuine attempt to go for the ball.

The angle suited a left-footed player and Mahrez’s diagonal shot was curled brilliantly into the top corner. Mahrez has started the new campaign slowly but it was a stylish reminder of his talent and an important goal in another context, too, if it is the catalyst for last season’s Professional Footballers’ Association player-of-the-year to start playing at the point of maximum expression again.

Leicester looked like they were enjoying themselves, unfazed by a stadium that had large pockets of empty seats and quickly working out their opponents were not going to subject them to the same kind of pressure, or even close, that Ranieri’s men experienced in their previous match at Liverpool. Danny Drinkwater came close to adding a third before half-time with an audacious left-foot volley that was dipping beneath the crossbar until Butelle tipped it over for a corner. There were other chances for Mahrez and Vardy and the fact Drinkwater was willing to take on a shot from almost 40 yards oblio seemed to epitomise the team’s self-belief at that point.

There were only fleeting moments when Islam Slimani, starting for the first time, showed why Leicester had set a club transfer record by paying £29m to recruit him from Sporting Lisbon, but they played with structure and control. That is always a good starting point in this competition and it helps as well that they have a striker with the pace and directness of Vardy.

In the 61st minute, Vardy set off running, picking up speed, knocking the ball goalwards and darting between the two centre-backs. The run took him into the penalty area and Vardy was too quick for the goalkeeper as well, touching the ball past Butelle only to be taken down at full speed. Mahrez had failed to score with three of his previous four penalties but this was struck with power and was still rising as it hit the net.

Izqueirdo did strike the post a few minutes later but the visitors can also reflect on a number of other opportunities in the second half. Huth had two headed chances from corners. Ahmed Musa was lively after taking over from Vardy in the 69th minute and Leicester will look back on their first Champions League assignment as a lot of fun.

(Guardian service)