Daka over the moon after snapping scoring drought with Leicester

Leicester City forward Patson Daka poured out his emotions after ending his 11-month scoring duck in a 2-1 victory over Stoke City on Saturday in the EFL Championship.

 

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The former Red Bull Salzburg man was on target in the Foxes’ 2-1 victory over Stoke City in the Sky Bet Championship after having last found the back of the net in December 2024.

Understandably, the Chipolopolo star was overcome with emotions, crediting his team mates for helping him find his scoring boots again in the second tier league.

“I’m over the moon. I’m really happy for the team. I think we needed this victory because, looking back, I think we have struggled when we come back from international breaks. This was really good for us,” he told the club’s website.

“We needed to do everything we could to get the three points. It’s the mentality we have developed now. We’re running and fighting for each other.”

He credited his goal during the game to telepathic understanding with his teammates after being teed up by Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu.

“We’re trying to do as much as possible to make each other’s job easy. It doesn’t matter if you’re a striker or a defender, you have to run for each other and play for each other,” he added.

What next for Daka and Leicester?

The 27-year-old will be hunting for more goals when the former Premier League champions return to the pitch for a meeting with Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday before entertaining Sheffield United on Saturday.

The Zambian returned to England prematurely from the FIFA window soon after featuring in the national team’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of South Africa. He consequently missed the second game in Angola where the hosts won 3-2.

The Chipolopolo man’s early return to the club’s business worked as he found the target in the 44^th minute to cushion the Foxes’ lead after Stephy Mavididi’s earlier opener for Leicester. Stoke scored their consolation goal through Jun-hoe Bae.

Daka was signed as a perfect replacement for club legend Jamie Vardy. However, even with Vardy’s departure, injuries and loss of form have seen Daka firing blanks.

Zambia national team coach Moses Sichone should be hoping for a match fit and in-form Daka going into the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco in December.