It was not pitch perfect but Wales made a winning start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, the substitute Rabbi Matondo capping victory in stoppage time after Ben Davies and Daniel James scored either side of a Kazakhstan penalty. The hush of trepidation that filled the Cardiff air approaching the final whistle confirmed what proved an awkward but satisfying night as Wales edged past Kazakhstan, 110th in the world, to preserve Craig Bellamy’s unbeaten record, though an improved performance is surely required if that is to remain in North Macedonia on Tuesday.
Wales hope this is the start of another memorable journey. And one with a happier ending than three woeful group-stage performances. This week even Davies, a typically uber-cautious talker, did not dress up Wales’s showing at the last World Cup. “The best moment of Qatar was probably just the Ukraine [playoff] game in getting there,” said the defender, whose header 79 seconds into the second half offered Wales comfort before Matondo converted Sorba Thomas’s cross. North Macedonia have won their past six matches and Wales can expect a step up in class. “We have to be at our best,” Bellamy said. “I don’t look at everything like I’m living with a knife between my teeth. We have to embrace it and be excited.”
A nervousness pervaded this stadium at half-time when Kazakhstan deservedly headed in level. In truth, Wales made an underwhelming start, with Maxim Samorodov registering the first shot, but led on nine minutes owing to a slice of luck, James’s shot taking a huge deflection to wrong-foot the Kazakhstan goalkeeper Alexandr Zarutskiy after Askhat Tagybergen failed to clear the ball. Bellamy punched the air but Wales did not accelerate clear of their opponents.
David Brooks failed to seize on a two v one scenario, undercooking a pass for Thomas, and a couple of minutes later Wales were reeling when Connor Roberts was penalised for handball inside the box. Roberts handled Islam Chesnokov’s cross and the Lithuanian referee, Donatas Rumsas, after a lengthy VAR check, awarded a penalty. Tagybergen sent a tame spot-kick down the middle of Karl Darlow’s goal and the ball, via Darlow’s feet, corkscrewed over the line.
Bellamy spent recent weeks delving into the archives to get a flavour of what to expect, analysing the way Ali Aliyev, Kazakhstan’s interim manager, set up his team when in charge of Kazakhstani side Kyzylzhar in his previous job. In reality, Bellamy did not need a database to tell him Kazakhstan would line up in a low block.
Patience was key. “The important part is to not get bored of keeping the ball,” Bellamy said. “If you try to force things, you can become even more vulnerable to the counterattack. I still hear the shouts: ‘Get it forward, get it [up] there.’ I know, but I’m not hitting up ‘there’ when we have the numbers ‘here’. The message at half-time was: be patient, they’ll tire and then we’ll pick them off.”
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It did not pan out quite like that. Wales may have been a little stodgy but there was nothing laboured about Davies’s header after the restart. Zarutskiy flapped at a Thomas corner and the ball zoomed over the goalkeeper’s flailing hands and towards the back post, where Davies powered in. It was the perfect way to erase any fears forming in the minds of those who witnessed Armenia overpower Wales here in a Euro 2024 qualifier or, indeed, Gibraltar hold Wales 0-0 last summer.
“In games where you go in as favourites there are expectations to walk all over teams, but it is never the case,” Davies said afterwards. How did Bellamy react at the break? “He came in, Mr Calm, and was clear in the message of what he expected. I think the players were the ones most frustrated, annoyed and angry.”
Neco Williams tested Zarutskiy with a smart free-kick but Matondo eventually sealed victory, converting from close range after the substitute Jordan James flipped the ball wide to Thomas. “Don’t take me home,” crooned the locals, for whom those four words were the soundtrack of an unforgettable run to the semi-finals at Euro 2016. Now they pine for another adventure on the global stage.
