Struijk Commends Leeds’ “Great Character” Following Middlesbrough Win

Pascal Struijk, Leeds’ vice-captain, stated that the Championship leaders exhibited “great character” during their victory against Middlesbrough, a result that propelled them back to the top of the league standings. Following Willy Gnonto’s initial goal for the home side, Middlesbrough, the visiting team, leveled the score in the second half after Leeds defender Max Wober inadvertently headed a corner kick from Boro into his own goal. Nevertheless, the Whites rallied to secure a 3-1 win, with goals contributed by Dan James and Brenden Aaronson. Struijk expressed particular satisfaction with his team’s resilience, which was evident throughout a challenging second half. “It was an unlucky own goal but the reaction shows great character,” Struijk commented to BBC Radio Leeds. He added, “It’s [then] about being solid, not conceding and we did great.” He continued, “Then we catch them on the counter attack – like they did sometimes in the first half to us – and we scored good goals from that.” This marked the league leaders’ eighth consecutive home victory, and Struijk attributed a significant portion of their success to the supporters present at Elland Road. “They were helping us when we lost the ball to make sure we have a reaction and then try to get involved when we aren’t paying attention,” Struijk further stated. He concluded, “The support that we have here is amazing and it’s also a big reason why we are doing so well at home.”