In the Antwerp ranks, we could highlight Tjarron Chery, who scored a double. He has now scored 12 goals in 23 matches, or one every two matches. We can also talk about Olivier Deman, author of very good starts in the left lane. But let’s focus on Dennis Praet who played his best match for Antwerp and who crowned his performance by scoring a goal in added time.
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A first headed goal, like in Turin
While it’s okay to downplay his first assist (Janssen still had a lot of work to do), his second for Kerk was perfect. On this action, Praet dived perfectly into the depth and his pass with his wrong foot for Kerk was perfect. Finally, in added time, he was also rewarding by scoring a diving header on a Corbanie cross. His first goal for Antwerp was therefore scored with a header. Who would have believed it? Of the 40 goals scored in his career, he had only scored one with a header. It was with Torino against Sampdoria.
After the meeting, Toby Alderweireld and Jonas De Roeck were very happy to see that Dennis Praet finally opened his account for number 1. “Not everything has been rosy for Dennis lately. As an attacking midfielder he had no stats, but today he did a fantastic job.” Captain Alderweireld said. Comments confirmed by Van den Bosch: “IHe deserves it enormously, it will only give him confidence“.
As by Jonas De Roeck: “We often forget that he has played little in recent years and has therefore not been able to demonstrate regularity in his performances. It’s also not easy to hear every week that you are no longer the same player you used to be. It’s normal that we don’t see the same Praet as eight years ago. The pressure from the media, fans and Belgian football in general has not always been easy for Dennis to bear. This is why it is important that he can work with us in a climate of trust.” he comments.
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Before continuing: “We have seen Dennis’ qualities in training for some time. He is still very good at seeing and diving into spaces. He rarely loses the ball and brings calm to the game. In matches, it was not always easy for him because he lacked rhythm. But the difference between his first and last match – not counting the one against the Union – was already big. I thought this Wednesday’s match might suit him. Against a team like Union, which also wants to play football, it is sometimes easier to find free spaces. It showed and I am very happy for Dennis that he managed to overcome this difficult period. I hope this will be a benchmark match he can build on“, concluded the Antwerp coach.
It now remains to be seen whether Praet will be able to confirm in the coming weeks.
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