LEICESTER, England -- Leicester earned the first win of its Premier League title defense, beating Swansea 2-1 thanks to goals by star striker Jamie Vardy and captain Wes Morgan on Saturday.It should have been an even bigger win for the champions in a dominant display at a rain-lashed King Power stadium, with English footballs player of the year Riyad Mahrez having a 56th-minute penalty saved.And it wound up being a nervous end for the hosts after Leroy Fer pulled a goal back for Swansea in the 81st.Vardy put Leicester ahead in typical fashion when he ran onto a lofted pass forward by Danny Drinkwater, nudged the ball forward, and thumped a finish into the net off the post in the 32nd minute. The England striker is off the mark this season after scoring 24 goals in Leicesters surprise run to the title in the 2015-16 campaign.Morgan smashed home the second goal in the 52nd minute at a corner, after the ball had popped up off center-back partner Robert Huths arm as the pair challenged for a high cross.To go two goals up and then hang on at the end, we got what we deserved, Vardy said. The ball was struggling to move in the puddles but thats English weather for you. Were just delighted to get the three points.Aside from Mahrezs failure from the penalty spot, the other negative for Leicester was an injury to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, sustained as he came out to challenge Swansea striker Fernando Llorente.Leicester, which won the league at odds of 5,000-1 last season, started its defense of the title with a surprise loss at Hull before drawing 0-0 at home to Arsenal.We were disappointed with the first game of the season but got a decent draw last week and played well and we just wanted to keep improving, Vardy said.This was Claudio Ranieris 100th win as a Premier League manager, including a spell at Chelsea. Mitchell Schwartz Jersey . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Kendall Fuller Jersey . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Martinas-Rankin-Elite-Jersey/ . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Damien Wilson Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. The Portland Trail Blazers have signed free-agent center Festus Ezeli to a two-year deal paying him $15.2 million, a source told The Undefeated.Festus is an outstanding addition to the Trail Blazer organization on and off the court, Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said in a statement. He will make an immediate impact and be a valuable addition to our culture.?The Blazers will pay Ezeli $7.4 million next season with a team option paying him $7.33 million the second season. The 6-foot-11, 265-pounder averaaged 7.dddddddddddd points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks with the Warriors last season. He was a member of their 2015 NBA championship team.The Vertical earlier reported?Ezelis deal.Ezeli visited the Blazers on Wednesday in Portland. The Nigerian became an unrestricted free agent after the Warriors relinquished their rights to him after getting a commitment from seven-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant. ' ' '