Key events
74 min: Rudi Garcia has seen enough. Rangers’ Raskin is coming on in central midfield as Belgium look to change their shape. Lukébakio, who only came on himself as a sub at half-time, is hooked. He looks embarassed as he trudges off. Eeeeesh.
72 min: With that equaliser, Wales have gone top of Group J. They now look the likelier team to get a winner. Belgium are completely rattled, and as Wales hound the hosts, Sels is forced to boot the ball out for a throw-in.
GOAL! Belgium 3-3 Wales (Johnson 70)
Wales have done it! Down and out at 3-0 down, now all square! Wooooooooooow! A comeback for the ages. Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas special has nothing on this! Wilson crosses deep, Thomas heads back across goal and Johnson beats Faes in the air, nodding back towards the far post! Sels is completely wrong-footed and can’t claw the ball out. In the away end, bedlam. Wales fans can’t believe their eyes!
68 min: Half-hearted appeals for a Wales penalty after Wilson chips a cross into the hand of Theate. It’s not a penalty, but worth an ask after Belgium’s penalty in the first half.
66 min: This is finely poised. Wales look a lot more organised, in and out of possession. They are enjoying plenty of the ball, and when they lose it, are able to press and hound Belgium into errors. It’s a complete sea-change from the first half.
64 min: Two changes for Wales: Jordan James and Brooks off for Harris and Cullen.
Harris will play as a central striker and almost immediately he gets the equaliser for Wales! Thomas shrugs off De Winter and crosses nicely to the near post, with Harris heading just wide. The Oxford striker has his head in his hands!
62 min: Wales are doubling up on Doku, yet the winger still gets clear of Roberts, who is having a torrid time at right back. Doku’s end product is often lacking and it proves so here, with Mepham getting his body in the way of the Belgian’s poor cross.
60 min: “Cofiwch Istanbwl”, emails Matt Dony. Steady on.
58 min: Wales look so much better now they have four at the back and Ampadu in midfield. The Leeds man has energy, physicality and nous, and is still able to track back and add an extra body when Belgium break.
56 min: Doku, now playing on the left wing after the introduction of Lukébakio, is still causing problems, now cutting in on his stronger right foot. A couple of Doku shots have flown over the bar since the break and the City winger tries another, only to be foiled by a brilliant covering tackle from Ampadu.
54 min: De Bruyne is popping up all over the pitch, this time on the left wing. The veteran no longer has the pace to close in on goal, so turns back, lays a pass off to Lukébakio and only a magnificent block from Davies prevents another goal!
52 min: What a game we suddenly have on our hands. Just before half-time Wales looked dead and buried. But just eight minutes into the second half, there’s just one goal in it! Football, ladies and gentlemen!
GOAL! Belgium 3-2 Wales (Thomas 51)
Hang on! Hang on, now! Wales are back in this! A simple, but wonderful goal as Wilson and Johnson combine down the right. Wilson cuts inside and lays a visionary pass to Thomas on the opposite flank. The stadium goes quiet for a moment as the ball rolls slowly towards the feet of Thomas … who strokes it first-time past Sels into the net!
49 min: It is worth remembering that De Bruyne is a free agent at the end of the month, and has yet to confirm a new club. The 33-year-old has completely run the show tonight.
47 min: Lukébakio has only been on two minutes but plays a one-two with De Bruyne and races completely clear through on goal! The Sevilla winger has all the time in the world, takes a touch, takes a second to set himself … and blazes the ball over from eight yards out. Terrible miss!
46 min: Two Belgian substitutions to tell you about. Garcia has replaced his two cautioned players, Trossard and De Cuyper, with Lukébakio and Theate. Like for like changes.
Peeeeeeep!
We’re off again.
Half-time reading:
Half-time: Belgium 3-1 Wales
The home side are rampant!
45+8 min: You’d think the referee would have blowed for half-time after the Wales penalty, but he plays on, time enough for Trossard to wriggle free on the left wing and ping a shot just a yard wide. What a suckerpunch that would have been for Wales after getting back (sort of) into the game.
GOAL! Belgium 3-1 Wales (Wilson 45+7 pen)
After another ridiculous three-minute VAR wait, Harry Wilson sends Sels the wrong way from 12 yards, curling his strike into the bottom right with that lovely left foot!
PENALTY TO WALES!
45+4 min: I was just praising Belgium for their defending from set pieces, before Sels comes for a corner, flapping wildly at the back post, and crashing into Mepham. It’s a blatant foul, although you don’t often see those given. But Wales won’t complain, it’s a vital lifeline before half-time!
45+2 min: Corner to Wales, but well defended by Belgium, who clear their lines. Rudi Garcia specifically spoke about Wales’ aerial presence, and brought 6ft5in Onana into the side, and the home side have done really well from Wales’ set pieces, including Roberts’ long throws.
45 min: Four minutes added on here, mainly for the VAR stoppage after the award of Belgium’s penalty.
43 min: It’s all Belgium. It could easily be four or five. Doku has been irresistible on the right and he gets another shot on goal after racing through, but Darlow closes the angle and saves. Doku was offside, but the Wales players can’t get near the Belgium winger at present.
41 min: Wales have a real problem in central midfield. It’s currently Belgium’s Onana-De Bruyne-Tielemens versus Wales’ Harry Wilson and Jordan James. Have a guess over which team is winning that little battle.
39 min: Belgium botch a glorious opportunity to make it four! De Bruyne glides forward, completely untracked by any Wales midfielder, and has his pick of options, four attackers versus four Wales defenders. De Bruyne goes left, choosing Trossard but the Arsenal man stumbles and the move breaks down, a hopeful cross cleared by Thomas at the back post.
36 min: Bellamy has sent five Wales subs to warm up. He is obviously furious at his players but should also take some responsibility for the score here. His 5-4-1 formation has not worked at all. Expect changes at half-time.
Trossard is booked for tripping Roberts. Well, that’s something.
34 min: It’s taken three goals and a third of the game, but Wales finally have a spell of sustained possession. Johnson is having some joy on the right wing, again skinning De Cuyper.
32 min: Yellow card for Belgium’s De Cuyper after Johnson, now playing on the right wing for Wales, turned neatly.
I should also mention that Ampadu also received a caution just before the second Belgium goal.
30 min: Watching that Doku goal back, it’s just such poor defending from Wales, particularly from Jordan James. You can’t give one of the best wingers in Europe that sort of space. And Darlow could maybe have done better, although the shot did come through a crowd of players.
28 min: There is a VAR check for a Wales penalty, which would chalk off Belgium’s third goal, and give Wales a chance to make it 1-2, but that is eventually waved away. It’s 3-0 and Wales are staring down the barrel of a hiding.
GOAL! Belgium 3-0 Wales (Doku 27)
Doku cuts in from the right, feints past a couple of half-hearted Wales challenges, and arrows a left-footed shot into the corner. Darlow gets a right hand to the ball, but it creeps just inside the post!
25 min: Doku is in the mood. Wales defenders can’t get near him.
23 min: With five at the back, Bellamy will be furious at how Belgium have been able to overwhelm Wales in wide areas. Just how De Cuyper was able to overlap Roberts on the right, completely untracked, is anyone’s guess.
21 min: This game is frenetic! Belgium stream forward on the counter attack, tearing down the left. The Manchester City winger cuts inside and plays an outrageous reverse through ball to his recent club teammate, De Bruyne, who ghosts through on goal. De Bruyne takes a touch but slides his shot just wide of the post! Almost 3-0!
20 min: Almost directly from the kick-off, Wales nearly grab a goal back! Mepham launches a long ball forward towards Brooks, who breaks the offside trap, bundles Faes out of the way, and shoots at goal … saved by Sels! That was a golden chance for the visitors, but the Forest keeper stood tall for Belgium.
GOAL! Belgium 2-0 Wales (Tielemans 19)
What a fantastic goal! Belgium spring forward again, De Cuyper on the overlap down the left, and the Club Brugge defender cuts the ball back to Tielemens, just left of the penalty spot. It’s not an easy chance for the Villa man, but he sidefoots it into the top corner, giving Darlow no chance. Finish!
17 min: Such a disappointing way for Wales to concede, but the visitors had invited pressure in the early passage of the game. And if you let De Bruyne shoot inside your penalty area, you are in trouble.
Belgium have been forced into a change: Meunier off, De Winter on.
GOAL! Belgium 1-0 Wales (Lukaku 15 pen)
Darlow dives to his left, and Lukaku rolls the ball into the opposite corner! Belgium lead!
14 min: VAR have taken more than three minutes to check this. They checked both the handball and a potential offside but the decision stands. It’s a penalty. An incredibly harsh penalty.
“Outrageous decision,” emails Mark Hooper. “Johnson had his arm tucked behind his back ‘in the modern style’ – what’s he supposed to do?”
Penalty to Belgium!
11 min: After the game resumes, and Meunier re-takes the field, Belgium take a quick corner. De Bruyne cuts inside on his ‘weaker’ left foot, smashes a shot at the goal and after the ball deflects behind, referee Irfan Peljto points to the spot. Slow-motion replays show that it did strike Brennan Johnson’s arm, but the penalty is extremely harsh. Johnson’s arm was down by his side, in a natural position, and he did not move the arm or hand towards the ball!
10 min: A stoppage as Belgium and Lille right back Meunier crumples to the floor with an issue. In the meantime, we’ll have an email from Matt Dony:
“Right, I’ve been listening to Together Stronger by the Manics, and I will definitely be singing ‘Hal Robson-Kanuuuuuu’ at various times through the evening,” he writes. “Bellamy has done so much right, I’m almost not absolutely terrified! It wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world if Wales get some kind of result. A repeat of that magical night in 2016 seems impossible, but a decent draw is well within the realms of imagination. Cards on the table, I wasn’t enthused by Bellamy’s appointment. I was wrong. He’s been brilliant. The Welsh FA is just tremendously well run at the moment, and consistently seems to make good decisions (WRU take note, please!).»
8 min: Rodon scored against Liechtenstein with a header and the Wales defender rises highest again here, connecting with a Wales corner. But the ball is deflected and Belgium clear through Tielemens, who is captaining the home side tonight.
6 min: Wales already look under the cosh. Uefa had listed Doku playing at left wing before the match, but as I suspected, he has lined up on the right, presumably because he wants to attack the sluggish Ben Davies.
4 min: Belgium kick into gear, and Johnson shows the defensive side of his game, tracking Debast and blocking a dangerous cross from the byline. From the corner, Onana nods a powerful header towards goal at the back post, blocked by Rodon. Ominous signs for Wales.
2 min: Thomas wriggles free on the left and sends an early low cross into the Belgium box, beautifully dissecting goalkeeper and defence. But Johnson is slightly off the pace and can’t connect! Maybe a proper centre forward would have been better placed.
Peeeeeeeeeeep!
And we’re off in Brussels.
“The Red Devils host the Dragons. Is this the most fiery international fixture in Europe?” emails Peter Oh.
The teams are out! Belgium will play tonight in a racy yellow number, while Wales are in their traditional red.
Wales’ anthem, Land of My Fathers, is belted out with hair-raising vigour. It feels like the match is being played in Cardiff, reportedly the biggest Wales away following for a qualifier since the October 2004 game against England at Old Trafford. Wow. The promise of watching Craig Bellamy’s exciting side and simultaneously drinking Belgian lager in the stands was an offer that thousands have obviously deemed too good to turn down. And who can blame them.
You might notice that Nottingham Forest keeper Matz Sels is in goal for Belgium tonight, with Thibaut Courtois nowhere to be seen. But that is because of injury – the Real Madrid stopper has a back problem – not because of his recent exile from the national side. Courtois announced in March he was returning to Belgium duty, but he’s sidelined tonight.
And here is the Wales manager as Bellamy speaks to the BBC:
We’ve been preparing for these games since September. Our identity will be the same. It’s a team that gives us the best possible opportunity to win tonight. Every game we look to win.
When the draw was made, Bellamy spoke with the same bullishness, about wanting to top the group. That sort of belief is invaluable for a nation that has traditionally struggled to qualify for the World Cup.
Craig Bellamy learned his trade under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht in Brussels. The Wales manager spoke to Ben Fisher on Sunday.
This game is one of six (European) World Cup qualifiers going on this evening. The other five are as follows:
Estonia vs Norway
Italy v Moldova
Faroe Islands v Gibraltar
Croatia v Czechia
Kazakhstan 0-1 North Macedonia
You will note that North Macedonia earlier beat Kazakhstan through a Aleksandar Trajkovski strike and now top the standings in Group J, Belgium and Wales’ group. This is how things stand, before kick-off here.
Joe Morrell, currently without a club, aged 28 and who played for Wales at the last World Cup, isn’t featuring tonight. But this was still an excellent interview last week with the Welsh midfielder.
One potential mis-match for Wales is at left back. Ben Davies is about as dependable as they come but should the lightning quick Jérémy Doku drift out to Belgium’s right wing, he might be able to breeze straight past the veteran defender, who is more accustomed to playing centre back these days. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Doku and Leandro Trossard swap wings for Belgium as the game goes on.
Daniel James is a big miss for Wales, out through illness. His pace would have caused Belgium a lot of problems on the counter-attack and fitted in nicely with Bellamy’s gameplan.
Let’s unpack those teams a little.
Belgium make two changes from the side that were disappointing held by North Macedonia at the weekend. Aston Villa duo André Onana and Youri Tielemans come into the midfield for Rangers’ Nicolas Raskin and Hans Vanaken, which should give them more balance in the middle. Leandro Trossard also gets a start, having not featured at all from the bench in Skopje.
Perhaps not surprisingly against stronger opposition, Bellamy favours a more mobile, faster, counter-attacking side. So Kiefer Moore drops to the bench, with Brennan Johnson pushed forward to striker. Wales will play five at the back, with wing backs Ben Davies and Connor Roberts providing width alongside wingers David Brooks and Sorba Thomas. Central midfield is rather lightweight, with Jordan James and Harry Wilson, but there is plenty of technical ability in there, too.
The teams!
Belgium: Sels, Meunier, Faes, Debast, De Cuyper, Tielemans, Onana, Trossard, De Bruyne, Doku, Lukaku.
Subs: Vandevoordt, Lammens, Theate, Openda, Lukebakio, De Winter, De Ketelaere, Mechele, Moreira, Vanaken, Raskin, Saelemaekers.
Wales: Darlow, Roberts, Mepham, Ampadu, Rodon, Ben Davies, Brooks, Jordan James, Wilson, Thomas, Johnson.
Subs: Ward, Adam Davies, Dasilva, Matondo, Cullen, Moore, Kpakio, Cabango, Harris, Koumas, Sheehan, Broadhead.
Referee: Irfan Peljto (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Preamble
If Wales are to qualify for the men’s World Cup for just the third time in their history, getting something from this crucial qualifier will likely be a huge reason why. Despite a poor start to Belgium’s campaign – a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia, their only game to date – Rudi Garcia’s side are the overwhelming favourites to top Group J and claim the only automatic qualification spot. In a group also containing Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein, can a team that contains Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Romelu Lukaku and Jérémy Doku really manage to mess this up? Wales will be hoping the answer is yes.
Craig Bellamy’s side have made a good start to their campaign, drawing away at North Macedonia and beating Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein. A draw or a win in Brussels tonight would be an epic achievement but not completely off the cards. It has happened before and it can happen again, the spirit of Hal Robson-Kanu in 2016 looms large.
Kick-off: 7.45pm BST.
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