Dan James scored a great goal for Wales, amid the thieves of joy
Leeds can hand Dan James a laptop full of shot-data analysis, remind him of his triple play-off pain and the scar running down his brow, give him a brick and ten minutes and let him get it all out of his system.
Against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday night, Dan James scored the kind of goal for Wales we dream of him scoring for Leeds. And, when it's a World Cup qualification play-off match, for Wales.
It's got everything. His alert reaction to a loose ball looping into Bosnia's half. The lumbering turns of the two big Bosnia defenders he's darting in between. The moment, once he has assessed the ball's flight, when his top speed kicks in and his boots are kicking up dust around him. There's a deft touch taking him into clear air and empty grass, a clever header, nodding the ball forward under his control.
And, 25 yards out, at an angle to the goal, he strikes the ball with all the power and accuracy it felt like he'd never learn playing up-front for Marcelo Bielsa. The ball travels straight, true and instant towards the near top corner, the foxed goalie diving towards it with his two wrists together, like a Subbuteo keeper, unable to reach.
What a goal, what a moment, what ultimately futile heartbreak. James, his forehead still bearing the scar of Leeds United's play-off failure against Southampton, thought he was burying the pain of missing the vital penalty in Wales' Euro 2024 qualifying play-off. Instead, after being subbed, he had to sit and watch as Bosnia equalised and won a penalty shoot-out in this World Cup play-off. Dan James: just don't do play-offs, my friend.
As Leeds fans we're all crossing fingers that James, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow bear this defeat better than they did in 2024. That spring it seemed like they, with Connor Roberts, couldn't prevent their international misery from clouding their club games, as Leeds slumped away from automatic qualification towards Dan James getting his head cut and us getting our hearts broke at Wembley.
As Leeds fans we're also wondering, why the heck and how come we haven't seen Dan James scoring any run and shoot thunderbolts like that for Leeds United lately? When do we ever get to see him, or anyone, sprinting away from the last defender and leathering an early strike into the top corner? Even if they mean tears at the end of the game, where are our wondergoals?
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