Until then, the hosts had struggled to contain a lively Rennes side that sit fourth in Ligue 1.

The Foxes' night got even better when Kelechi Iheanacho curled in a late second against the run of play.

The celebrations around the King Power suggested many felt Nigerian forward Iheanacho's late contribution may prove pivotal to the outcome of the tie, which resumes when the Foxes travel to France for the return leg on Thursday, 17 March (17:45 GMT).

Manager Brendan Rodgers will be delighted to have a two-goal cushion against fluent opponents who will feel aggrieved to have left the East Midlands empty-handed.

Bruno Genesio's side enjoyed several excellent spells with Jeremy Doku's pace and trickery a feature of their early dominance.

Gaetan Laborde and Jonas Martin both missed excellent chances to score either side of Albrighton's 30th-minute effort, which came courtesy of a brilliant driving run from Barnes.

And while the Foxes appeared to grow in confidence and had a chance to extend their lead when Kiernan Dewsbury­-Hall's low shot was saved, they survived several shaky moments.

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel saved well with his feet from Martin Terrier and Rennes had a penalty appeal for a handball by Caglar Soyuncu turned down, before Iheanacho ensured Leicester's first encounter with French opposition ended on a positive note.