Daka's Double Salvages a Point for Struggling Leicester Against Preston

Patson Daka made a remarkable return from international duty, scoring twice to secure a crucial point for Leicester in their battle against relegation, as they drew 2-2 with Preston. Daka, who had played for Zambia against Argentina in the early hours of Wednesday, opened the scoring in the fourth minute by capitalizing on Andrew Moran's under-hit back-pass. Moran made amends for his mistake by equalizing in the 38th minute with his first Preston goal since joining from Brighton in February. Ben Whiteman then gave the visitors the lead with a 45th-minute header from Alfie Devine's corner. However, Daka struck again in the 81st minute, pouncing on another error to equalize after Pol Valentin's attempted clearance. Leicester remain in the relegation zone with only one win in 14 league matches, but their second-half comeback will provide them with hope for the remainder of the season. Preston appeared disjointed after Daka's early goal, and Leicester should have extended their lead in the 33rd minute. Stephy Mavididi flicked a cross from the left, which Daka controlled before beating Devine, only for goalkeeper Daniel Iversen to block his shot. The visitors then turned the game around to lead at halftime, with Moran's shot bouncing down off the bar and Whiteman left unmarked to make it 2-1. After the break, Leicester attempted to respond, with Iversen reacting well to beat away Harry Winks' first-time shot. There was controversy in the 63rd minute as Jordan Storey brought down Daka, but the referee allowed play to continue before booking the Preston center-back. Iversen then pushed aside Luke Thomas's long-range shot as Leicester continued to push for an equalizer, which Daka eventually provided. They almost won it late on, but had to settle for a point. Leicester manager Gary Rowett praised Daka's performance, saying, 'He's been on a flight from Argentina to Chile, Chile to Paris, Paris to England, and then in a car to a training ground, then trained yesterday morning and played with that much energy.' Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom felt that his team created all four goals and that it was frustrating, but he encouraged his team to embrace the frantic nature of the game and use it as a rehearsal for fighting at the top end of the table.