Stade Francais - 26 Leicester - 13: Leicester's European Cup campaign ended last night in bitter disappointment and French tears of joy. Twice the European champions, the Tigers and their fans have come to expect success on big nights such as this, but this time, despite matching the visitors' tally of two tries, they paid a high price for their lack of a specialist goalkicker, writes Robert Kitson At Welford Road

Five goalkickers were tried in all, but only one kick from six went over, in marked contrast to Diego Dominguez's 100 per cent return on the night for a personal haul - capped by a last-minute interception try - of 21 points.

First-half tries in this Pool One winner-take-all showdown by Harry Ellis and Ollie Smith could not mask the quality gap.

Inside the first minute the opening stand-in kicker, Steve Booth, missed a wobbly penalty attempt and the sight of the prolific Dominguez knocking over Stade's first points soon afterwards rubbed it in.

Leicester responded with a striking score. Good passing freed Freddie Tuilagi on a powerful burst down the left wing and, when Booth was held up short, Ellis ferreted his way over.

When Dominguez slotted a second penalty for Stade to regain the lead it seemed that the Tigers would need all the good luck they could muster.

It arrived as if on cue when Jaco van der Westhuyzen collected his own hopeful up-and-under and sent Smith over.

Perversely, though, that was the signal for Stade's forwards to up their game and a concerted rolling maul ended with the captain, David Auradou, being driven over beneath a heap of bodies in first-half injury-time. The outhalf's conversion was an inevitability, extending the visitors' interval lead to 13-10.

Despite a penalty from Van der Westhuyzen, the fourth kicker used by the home team, two more neat three-pointers from Dominguez kept Stade in the box seat and one further penalty miss by the fifth contender, Ramiro Pez, prefaced an injury-time intercept try for Dominguez.

LEICESTER: Booth (Myring, 20; Pez 67); Smith, Gelderbloom, Lloyd, F Tuilagi; Van der Westhuyzen, Ellis; Rowntree, West, Morris, M Johnson, Kay, W Johnson, Back (capt), H Tuilagi (Corry, 68). Tries: Tuilagi, Smith. Pen: Van der Westhuyzen.

STADE FRANCAIS: Corleto; Hernandez, Glas, Liebenberg, Dominici; Dominguez, Pichot; Marconnet, Blin, De Villiers, Auradou (capt), Marchois, Moni, Rabadan, Tabacco. Tries: Auradou, Dominguez. Con: Dominguez 2. Pens: Dominguez 4. Sin-bin: Dominici 32.

Referee: A Rolland (Ireland).