Especially in the first half, the crowd was treated to a lot of excitement. The Belgian trio up front provided many flashes and danger but did not make the most of all their chances. Wales were well off the pace in the first half but managed to score early in the second and will feel they could have claimed a draw.. Ultimately, the flashes from De Bruyne and Batshuayi made the difference and while it was a fine game from Moore, his goal could not act as a catalyst for anything other than a Welsh defeat.
With their first meaningful move upfield, Belgium take the lead. Batshuayi holds up well on the right before cutting back to Kevin De Bruyne on the edge of the penalty area and he strokes a measured left-footed shot low into the net with his first touch, despite Hennessey getting a hand to his attempt.
Belgium’s record against wales might have been indifferent going into the match but they remain unbeaten in home games against them, winning five and drawing three of their eight clashes on home soil. Wales are now without a win in four games (D1 L3) for the first time in more than five years.
With their first meaningful move upfield, Belgium take the lead. Batshuayi holds up well on the right before cutting back to De Bruyne on the edge of the penalty area and he strokes a measured left-footed shot low into the net with his first touch, despite Hennessey getting a hand to his attempt.
De Bruyne’s goal was his fourth against Wales, meaning he has struck more against them than any other international team. He’s also one of three Belgium players to have ten or more goal involvements in the Nations League along with Batshuayi and Romelu Lukaku.
Again, Meunier is involved as he releases De Bruyne and he uses good strength to step away from Ampadu and cross low before hitting the touchline, with Batshuayi there to tap in his low cross at the back post. Belgium are cruising now.
Suddenly Wales are back in the game! Johnson does really well on the right and swings the ball in for Moore, who gets between Debast and Meunier to reduce the deficit with a strong downward header. Its game on for Wales, despite the fact Belgium will feel they should be out of sight.
Wales striker Kieffer Moore said ,”I think it was a tough game but we kept our fighting spirit. That’s the positive aspect we need to remember from tonight. I am pleased that I scored but of course the points would have been more important to me. But Belgium at home is always very tough. I feel like we did a good job and we’re going into the next game with high morale.”
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, “I am happy with the performance of the team. The first half was exactly what I asked of them. But then we have perhaps a bit of decompression during the game because we’re 2-0 up. Those are things we need to avoid.”
Topics
UEFA Nations League Belgium Wales Football Sports Kolkata
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