Kevin De Bruyne scored a pair of penalties as Belgium boosted their bid to qualify for the World Cup with a crucial 4-2 win against Wales on Monday.
Rudi Garcia’s side trailed to Joe Rodon’s early opener at the Cardiff City Stadium. De Bruyne levelled from the penalty spot and Thomas Meunier fired Belgium ahead before half-time.
De Bruyne converted another penalty in the closing stages before Nathan Broadhead got one back for the host. Leandro Trossard extinguished Wales’ hopes of a dramatic finish as Belgium moved to the top of Group J.
Belgium are two points clear of second-placed North Macedonia, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Kazakhstan on Monday.
The Red Devils haven’t lost a qualifier for the World Cup or European Championship in 46 games since Gareth Bale sealed Wales’ shock victory against them in 2015.
Wales sit in third place after squandering a chance to move a step closer to next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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Craig Bellamy’s team are four points behind Belgium, with both sides having two games to play, while North Macedonia have one match remaining.
Belgium was held 0-0 at home by North Macedonia on Friday, a result that had put Wales’ World Cup destiny in their own hands.
Wales knew three wins from their last three matches would clinch a World Cup place.
But now they face a potential play-off route if they cannot overhaul Belgium, with a trip to Liechtenstein on November 15 before a home game against North Macedonia three days later.
Wales were beaten 4-3 by Belgium in Brussels in June, with De Bruyne bagging the late winner.
Once again, the Napoli midfielder proved their nemesis.
Wales’ blistering start reaped a deserved reward in the eighth minute when Leeds defender Rodon exploited Belgium’s woeful marking as he rose to head home from Sorba Thomas’s corner.
But against the run of play, Belgium was handed a lifeline in the 18th minute.
Charles De Ketelaere’s long-range shot hit Ethan Ampadu’s arm in the area.
Ampadu hardly extended his arm away from his body, but Daniel Siebert awarded the penalty after consulting the pitch side monitor and De Bruyne calmly stepped up to send Karl Darlow the wrong way from the spot.
Bellamy was booked for protesting, triggering a suspension from the bench for the Liechtenstein game.
The Wales manager’s frustration only increased in the 24th minute as Belgium took the lead.
If the visitors’ first goal was controversial, there was no debating the merits of their second.
Thomas was caught napping as the irrepressible Jeremy Doku galloped into acres of space on the right flank to whip a low cross into the Wales area.
Meunier timed his run perfectly to guide a clinical finish past Darlow from an acute angle.
Bellamy had made a bold decision by dropping Brennan Johnson after his recent struggles, but, in need of inspiration after Belgium seized the momentum, he sent on the Tottenham winger in the 58th minute.
However, Johnson’s most notable contribution was to usher away a rat after it ran onto the pitch to briefly halt play.
As the rat left Wales’ sinking ship, Bellamy’s men were finished off in the 76th minute.
Jordan James needlessly handled Trossard’s flick in the area and the nerveless De Bruyne again slotted home from the spot.
Broadhead’s 89th-minute finish from the edge of the area, after Kieffer Moore robbed Trossard, looked like setting up a tense finale.
But Trossard made amends seconds later as the Arsenal forward drilled home from Timothy Castagne’s cross.
AFP
