Harry Wilson scores from the penalty spot to ignite a Cymru comeback.
Belgium 4-3 Cymru
Classy Belgium race into a 3-0 lead
Harry Wilson penalty before half-time ignites comeback
VAR drama throughout the match
Kevin De Bruyne wins it late on for Belgium
Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy experienced defeat for the first time in his ten games in charge on a memorable night in Brussels as Belgium edged a seven goal thriller. There have been a number of famous fixtures between these two nations in the past, and this was another one to add the collection.
Bellamy made three changes to his starting line-up from the 3-0 win over Liechtenstein as Chris Mepham, David Brooks and Jordan James replaced Liam Cullen, Kieffer Moore and the injured Neco Williams. Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia also made a number of changes following their 1-1 draw with North Macedonia last week.
The evening began with the news that North Macedonia had moved to the top of Group J with a 1-0 win away to Kazakhstan. Bellamy said before the match that his side would play with a positive approach and Cymru showed their attacking intentions early on. However, the counter-attacking quality of Belgium soon dictated the direction of the game.
Belgium dominance
On 12 minutes, referee Irfan Peljto adjudged that Brennan Johnson had handled in the area when a shot from Kevin De Bruyne deflected off him from close-range. A lengthy VAR check confirmed the fine margins of the decision, but the penalty was awarded and Romelu Lukaku made no mistake from the spot. Within minutes, it was 2-0 to Belgium as captain Youri Tielemans rounded-off a superb team move with a fine finish.
The excellent Jérémy Doku was highlighted by Bellamy as a danger for Belgium and he added a third with a brilliant individual goal as he twisted and turned his into space inside the Cymru area before firing past goalkeeper Karl Darlow on 27 minutes. David Brooks and Ben Davies both had chances for Cymru shortly after, but Matz Sels in the Belgian goal was equal to their efforts.
Harry Wilson scores a penalty for Wales that ignites a comeback.
Cymru’s Harry Wilson scores from the spot to ignite a comeback
The comeback
There was a twist in added-time as the referee awarded Cymru a penalty when Sels was adjudged to have fouled Chris Mepham in the area. Harry Wilson converted from the spot to give the visitors a glimmer of hope as Bellamy prepared for the most important half-time team-talk of his ten game tenure. Whatever he said, worked.
Incredibly, Belgium squandered two opportunities after the restart, but Sorba Thomas scored his first international goal on 51 minutes when he capitalised on a superb cross-field ball from Wilson. Joe Rodon put his body on the line at the other end as Belgium began to waver, and Cymru were lifted when substitute Mark Harris narrowly headed wide midway through the 2nd half.
Sorba Thomas celebrates scoring his first goal for Cymru in a remarkable match
On 69 minutes, Cymru were level. Brennan Johnson’s pace had caused problems for Belgium all night and he headed in Cymru’s third goal to send the visiting fans wild. There was plenty more drama to come 10 minutes later when Lukaku thought he had scored his second of the night for Belgium, but a lengthy VAR check confirmed the ball had gone out of play in the build-up.
Final twist
There would be one final twist on 88 minutes when De Bruyne found himself in space at the far-post and their talisman scored the winner for Belgium. It was a devastating blow for Cymru, but a comeback that showed the character and commitment that will serve this team well for the remainder of the qualifying campaign.
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Post-match reaction
Reaction to the 4-3 defeat and the game as it happened
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Match action and The Red Wall
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