Something stirring

The one that got away?

Written by: Miles Reucroft
Artwork by: Eamonn Dalton
A black and white image of Giuseppe Bellusci at the end of a Leeds game, stripped down to a vest and his underpants. There's a number 5 printed on his arse. He's still got his socks and boots on.

Mirco Antenucci played a perfect through ball, dissecting Huddersfield’s centre backs. It’s September 2014 and our recently acquired centre-back, who started the move from deep, is on the receiving end of the pass. It’s stereotypical nosebleed territory for a Championship centre back, played through one-on-one, the goal at his mercy. Giuseppe Bellusci didn’t fit that or many other stereotypes, though. He went for the chip, first time. It arced in a perfect parabola over the keeper, a moment of genuine wonder in a wasteland of an era, only to be thwarted by the crossbar. Antenucci hadn’t stood back to admire his own role in this; he was on hand to convert the rebound and put Leeds 2-0 up. Was something stirring?

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