Praet gets winner against Belarus after ‘difficult’ spell at King Power
DENNIS Praet marked the end of his “difficult period” with a goal as he earned Belgium a 1-0 victory in their final game of the international break.
The midfielder, loaned out by Leicester City to Torino on deadline day, struck instinctively from inside the box to help his nation see off Belarus on Wednesday night and strengthen their position in World Cup qualifying.
It was just Praet’s fifth start this calendar year, and his third with Belgium, after a period at City in which he struggled for game-time.
After pulling his hamstring in January, Praet only started once more for City when he returned in March in the 3-2 loss at West Ham.
But he has never lost the faith of Belgium boss Roberto Martinez and played alongside Youri Tielemans and Timothy Castagne on Wednesday.
“I am obviously happy to have scored,” Praet said. “It was not an easy game and the most important thing was to secure the victory. The goal is the icing on the cake.
“It feels good after a difficult period where I hadn’t played a lot. I was happy to be able to play and to have been able to score that goal.”
Praet will now link up with Torino for the first time and could play his first Serie A game in three seasons this Sunday, having joined City from Italian side Sampdoria in 2019.
Tielemans and Castagne will return to City today along with Danny Ward after he kept a clean sheet for Wales.
However, Rob Page’s side could not break down Estonia and Wales walked away with a goalless draw that dents their World Cup hopes. They stay third in Group E, level on points with second-placed Czech Republic having played a game fewer, but nine points behind pool leaders Belgium.