Pascal Struijk sends nine-word message to Illan Meslier after Leeds United shocker
Pascal Struijk has sent a message of support to Leeds United teammate Illan Meslier after his error proved costly in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland.
The 24-year-old misjudged a deflected ball off Junior Firpo as it bounced past the goalkeeper on 97 minutes to give the hosts a last-gasp equaliser at the Stadium of Light on Friday [4 October].
Struijk, who captained the Whites, led by example as he sent a message directed at his teammate on his Instagram account in the aftermath of the result.
He said: “Cruel game sometimes. Let’s keep having each other’s backs.”
Leeds United need to lick their wounds and move on
While on the pitch, not one Leeds player took time to console their goalkeeper for his costly error, so it is great to see the players showing some form of unity in the face of gut-wrenching disappointment.
Daniel Farke continued his poor record against Leeds’ promotion rivals, with draws against West Brom and now Sunderland, on top of a defeat against Burnley.
The side’s credentials have been put to the test this season and they have fallen at each hurdle, as harsh as that may sound.
The match and the three points were decided when the ball bopped toward Meslier in stoppage time, but while the Frenchman will undoubtedly take the flack, Leeds had several occasions to put the game to bed and ultimately paid the price.
Brenden Aaronson spurned golden chances in each half – one that spawned the wrath of Firpo – with the match on a knife’s edge and the lack of composure in front of goal must face the same amount of criticism as Meslier’s mistake.
The Whites must band together and quickly move on from the result. There is no point in finger-pointing and dwelling on the disappointment with so much football left to be played this season, especially now there is a gap to the top of the Championship table that Leeds will need to cut down in the coming weeks.
In other Leeds United news, Archie Gray reveals he had second thoughts before leaving for Tottenham.
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