Leeds captain Pascal Struijk has leapt to the defence of Illan Meslier after the goalkeeper made a bizarre late error to gift Sunderland a 1-1 draw in the Championship
Leeds’ captain Pascal Struijk has defended Illan Meslier after the goalie’s astonishing blunder.
On the cusp of clinching a vital win away at Championship leaders Sunderland, Leeds were on their way to what felt like a sure victory thanks to Junior Firpo’s second-half belter – but then came the stoppage time shocker.
With just six minutes of added time ticking away, Preston’s Alan Browne floated over what looked like easy pickings for a pro like Meslier.
But, in a startling twist, Meslier fluffed it, leaving the Leeds fans furious as the ball trickled into the net. Now, Struijk has offered an explanation as to why the ball bounced past the Frenchman.
He said: “Of course he is disappointed, he knows that these things happen in football unfortunately.
“I’ve looked at the pitch there, there is a massive dent there and I have a better chance of winning the lottery than it goes in a hole and then bounces to his right but we all know what a great keeper Illan is.”