Craig Bellamy: "We had to dig in"
“It was hard work, really hard work,” says the Wales head coach in a BBC interview. “We knew beforehand, Kazakhstan is a very hard place to come. It has been for British national teams and club sides in recent years. You could see why today.
“It wasn’t as clean as we would have liked, we had to dig in. The players have that ability to dig in but there is more, there is more to come from them. We are a better team than we showed consistently today. How we started was really good but then the rhythm wasn’t quite there.
On Dylan Lawlor’s debut: “I was so impressed with Dylan Lawlor. He was so good. We knew it would be hard with the squad withdrawals. Dylan is a big plus from this week, we have gained a player.
On the next World Cup qualifier against Belgium: “I am not thinking about Belgium yet, we have Canada to play first. I want to see a better intensity, lots of the habits that have made us the team we are. We will take the win.”
Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
Match report: All in yellow Kazakhstan, 114th in the Fifa rankings, represented a banana skin on an artificial surface in Astana but Wales took the points courtesy of a win that was anything but straightforward. Ben Fisher reports …
Kieffer Moore: “Massively relieved,” says the Wales goalscorer in a BBC interview. “It’s safe to say we were on the back foot second half, but to get the three points, we needed that for the team and the campaign.
“I’m extremely proud, to mark this occasion [his 50th cap] with a goal and a win is something I’m proud of. I think this sets us up for the Belgium game, we all know what we have to do, and what’s the outcome we need.”
Harry Wilson: "We can win games playing ugly"
“Second half they pressed a lot higher, they went man for man at times and we found it difficult,” says the Wales midfielder, who went close to doubling his side’s lead in the second half. “I think we showed that while we can win games playing well, but we can win games playing ugly as well.
“After the game in Brussels, we showed we can score goals against the best of teams and we know with the Red Wall behind us we’re capable of beating anyone so we have to make sure we do that next month.”
Wales face Canada in a friendly at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium on Tuesday and their remaining World Cup qualifiers are against Belgium (h), Liechtenstein (a) and North Macedonia (h). They also have a friendly against England at Wembley on Thurs 9th October.
Harry Wilson: "It was a bit nervy at the end"
“Valuable three points after a really, really tough game,” says the Wales midfielder in an interview with the BBC. “I thought we started pretty well and controlled the game. It was really nice to get the goal quite early on just to settle us in but they showed on more than one occasion that they’re a dangerous team. I think we really had to stick together and it was a bit nervy at the end with that free-kick. It’s a vital three points.”
Full-time: Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
It’s all over in Astana. Kazakhstan have just hit the bar and one suspects the travelling Wales fans will be doing exactly the same thing to steady their nerves with a few stiff drinks after being put through the wringer in that second half. Kieffer Moore’s first-half strike won all three points for Wales but Craig Bellamy’s side were left clinging on as Kazakhstan were left to rue one near miss after another. Wales go top of group J, two points clear of North Macedonia, who have a game in hand. Belgium, six points back, have three games in hand over Wales.
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Kazakhstan hit the bar!!!
90+5 min: Chesnokov goes down under a challenge from Cabango right on the edge of the Wales penalty area and appeals for a spot-kick. He get’s a free-kick just on the edge of the D instead. Muzhikov the substitute stands over the ball and hits the bar!!! The final whistle goes and Wales have escaped with the three points, but only just.
90+4 min: Harry Wilson picks up the ball on the inside left, glances towards goal and then sensibly decides to amble towards the corner flag instead.
90+2 min: Neco Williams concedes a free-kick and gets booked. Kazakhstan hoy the ball back into the Wales penalty area and it’s hacked clear in instalments. This is desperate stuff from the Welsh but they might just have done enough.
90 min: We’re into a recommended four minutes of add-ons as Kairov sends a cross into the Wales penalty area, where Darlow claims the ball, drops to the floor and shows no great inclination to get back to his feet.
89 min: Davies is called into action again, heading a Kazakhstan free-kick from the left aimed towards the far post clear.
87 min: With Kairov lurking behind him at the back post, Ben Davies does well to head a cross out of play for a corner. Nothing comes of it but Wales are courting late, late disaster here. Can they hang on for the win?
86 min: Wales substitution: Ben Cabango replaces Chris Mepham. Kazakhstan have made a few changes too but you probably don’t care about them.
85 min: Jordan James wins a corner for Wales. Josh Sheehan overhits his delivery towards the back post and the ball sails towardss the touchline.
83 min: The substitute Chesnokov runs on to a ball bouncing on the left side of the Wales penalty area and sends an opportunistic volley fizzing over the bar.
80 min: Wales win a free-kick about three yards outside the Kazakhstan penalty area. It looks in prime Wilson real estate but Wales decide to mix things up and it’s Neco Williams who tries to pick out Jordan James. In the Kazakhstan goal, the debutant Anarbekov rides to the rescue again.
78 min: Harry Wilson advances through the middle and plays a give and go with Mark Harris before bringing an excellent save out of Anarbekov with a rising shot. Corner for Wales, which is headed clear at the back post by Nuraly Alip. Harris’s backheeled return pass to WIlson in the build-up to that shot was a thing of great beauty.
77 min: Wales double-substitution: Jordan James and David Brooks come on for Sorba Thomas and Liam Cullen.
75 min: Darlow is forced into action, getting down quickly at his near post to save a powerful shot from Samorodov. The equaliser is coming unless Wales can get their act together. They’ve been very disjointed since going ahead and Kazakhstan can smell blood in the water.
73 min: Wales are living on the edge here and it takes a wonderful sliding challenge towards his own goal from Dylan Lawlor to prevent a certain goal as a low cross fizzed across the six-yard box. Samorodov was queuing for the tap-in but the ball goes out for a corner from which nothing comes.
70 min: Karl Darlow gives the Red Wall the jitters as he takes a touch or two too many under pressure far too close to his own goal. The Wales goalkeeper gets away with it.
68 min: Brave goalkeeping from Anarbekov, who charges off his line to prevent Harry Wilson reaching a Sorba Thomas delivery on the right side of the penalty area. The goalkeeper gets to the ball first, both players collide and it’s Anarbekov who comes out worst from it. He’s OK to continue after receiving treatment.
65 min: Wales double-substitution: James and Harris come on for Johnson and Moore. Kazakhstan make a change too, replacing the excellent Kenzhebek with Islam Chesnokov. That’s a weird one, unless Kenzhebek has picked up an injury.
64 min: Neco Williams sends a cross into the Kazakhstan penalty area but overhits his delivery in the direction of Moore and Thomas, sending the ball out of play.
62 min: There’s activity near the Wales bench, where Oxford United’s Mark Harris and Leeds United’s Dan James are preparing to come on.
61 min: From deep inside his own half, Sorba Thomas gallops up the left side of the pitch before being forced to run the ball out of play for a Kazakhstan throw-in.
58 min: Undoubtedly Kazakhstan’s man of the match thus far, Kenzhebek embarks on a mazy run across the face of the Wales penalty area before sitting Josh Sheehan on his backside with a soft-shoe shuffle and pulling a low shot just wide of the upright. That’s a hat-trick of near-misses the Kazakhstan midfielder has notched up inside an hour.
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57 min: There’s a break in play as Kieffer Moore has gone down injured under a robust and late challenge from Alibek Kasym, who trod on the Welsh striker’s instep.
56 min: Enjoying a decent debut, Dylan Lawlor calmly shepherds the ball out of play for a goal-kick under extreme pressure from Satpaev.
53 min: Moore runs on to a decent pass through the Kazakhstan penalty area from Harry Wilson but elects not to shoot with his weaker foot from a tight angle. A promising Wales move breaks down.
52 min: Wales are under serious pressure. A rising drive from Kenzhebek is tipped on to the bar by Darlow. That’s another splendid effort from the midfielder and a good save from the Wales goalkeeper, who was at full stretch.
50 min: Samorodov sends an excellent cross towards the far post from the right but it’s this much too high for Kairov. Kazakhstan get the ball into the box again from the other side but Darlow claims confidently.
49 min: Lawlor whacks Samorodov from behind and Kazakhstan win another free-kick in a good position. On this occasion, the delivery towards Sergiy Maliy is wildly overhit and sails out of play.
47 min: Orazov wins a free-kick wide on the left after getting a little shove in the back from Williams and hitting the deck. The Welshman is furious but can have no real complaints. Samorodov’s delivery into the box is flicked on but then hacked clear.
Second half: Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
46 min: Sorba Thomas gets the second half under way, with no changes in personnel on either side … yet.
An email: “It’s a sultry night here in Astana,” writes Alun Pugh from the stadium. “Where else can you get a horse burger, a beer and a match ticket with serious change from twenty quid? On the minus side there appear to be no toilets in the stadium.”
Half-time: Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
Wales lead at haf-time courtesy of Kieffer Moore’s strike but not have had it all their own way since opening the scoring. Kazakhstan have looked dangerous on the break and almost equalised through a fine Galymzhan Kenzhebek effort that curled narrowly wide of the far post. It hasn’t been a classic but Wales won’t mind.
45 min: Kazakhstan break forward again and after good work from Satpaev, Alibek Kassym shoots well wide from a good position. It’s half-time.
44 min: A steepling cross from Ben Davies hangs in the air, tempting Anerbekov off his line to try to pluck it from the sky. His catch isn’t clean but he grabs the ball at the second time of asking under pressure from Keiffer Moore.
43 min: Free-kick for Wales, directly in front of the Kazakhstan goal, about 30 yards out and a little right of centre. Harry Wilson fancies his chances but sends his shot straight into the defensive wall.
41 min: Mepham tries a shot from distance, sending a low effort skidding along the floor and into the arms of Temirian Anerbekov.
38 min: Wales lose the ball while trying to play it out from the back and Galymzhan Kenzhebek comes this close to curling a splendid equaliser inside the far post after cutting in from the left. That was a fine effort which curled millimetres wide of the upright.
36 min: Wales are good value for their one-goal lead but Kazakhstan are looking dangerous on the counter-attack and are for the watching.
34 min: Sodorov switches the ball wide to Satpaev on the right touchline as Kazakhstan advance on the break again. The youngster runs down a blind alley and the ball ends up at the feet of Karl Darlow.
33 min: Neco Williams and Brennan Johnson combine down the left but the full-back loses his balance on the artificial pitch and falls over just inside the Kazakhstan penalty area. He thinks better of appealing for a penalty.
30 min: Samorodov gets the ball in space outside the Wales penalty area after some sloppy play from Brennan Johnson. The Kazakhstan striker’s shot is blocked by the outstretched leg of Chris Mepham. Samorodov appeals for a handball but the referee isn’t interested.
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28 min: Kazakhstan attack on the break and Ramazan Orazov picks out Maksim Samorodov with a fine pass. He wins a corner for his side as Wales scramble back to defend. The ball is whipped into the box and the ball goes out for a Wales goal kick off the head of Nuraly Alip.
26 min: That’s an opener that will ease the pressure on Wales. They won a free-kick wide on the right and the ball was curled towards Liam Cullen, who flicked a header goalwards. Anerbekov kept his effort out but could only parry the ball to Moore, whose task could scarcely have been more straightforward. The Wrexham striker scores his 15th goal for Wales on his 50th appearance.
GOAL! Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales (Moore 25)
Wales lead! Kieffer Moore stabs home from about seven yards out after Anerbekov parries a Liam Cullen flick at a free-kick to his feet.
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23 min: Wales win another corner after good work from Neco Williams. Harry WIlson swings the ball towards the far post, where Dylan Lawlor has a free-header. He is unable to stewer the ball goalwards and sends it across the face of goal. It’s scrambled clear.
21 min: That was a nervy moment for Wales. Kenzhebek was given the freedom of the pitch to bear down on their penalty area and might have scored with a better placed shot. Leeds United is where Karl Darlow plays second fiddle these days, in case you were wondering. I had to check he wasn’t still at Newcastle.
19 min: Kazakhstan are given space to advance on the Wales penalty area but Kenzhebek’s shot from just outside the box is straight at Karl Darlow.
18 min: Ramazan Orazov is penalised for a late challenge from behind on Brennan Johnson but avoids a booking.
14 min: Sorba Thomas gads down the left again and picks out Johnson with another cross. The volley towards goal looks on but Johnson controls the ball before blazing over. Wales are awarded a corner when Anerbekov is incorrectly adjudged to have tipped the ball over the bar. He didn’t get near it! From that corner, Wales win another but nothing comes of either.
12 min: Making his international debut in goal for Kazakhstan tonight, Temirian Anerbekov may look familiar to Celtic fans. The Kairat Almaty goalkeeper saved two penalties in the shoot-out that resulted in the Scottish champions’ embarrassing elimination from the Champions League preliminaries.
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11 min: Kazakhstan enjoy a rare spell of possession but lose the ball when a misplaced Damir Kassabulet pass finds its way to the feet of Dylan Lawlor.
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10 min: Thomas’s corner is cleared with a meaty header, Wales regain possession just inside their own half and advance up field again.
7 min: Wales are dominating possession in these early stages, with Kazakhstan sitting deep in a lines of five and four. Ben Davies tries a shot from distance after some patient build-up and wins a corner for his side when his shot pole-axes Alip.
6 min: Sorba Thomas has started well for Wales and is giving his marker, Bagdat Kairov an early headache. The Welshman drills a low cross into the Kazakhstan penalty area from the left but it’s cleared before it arrives at the feet of Brennan Johnson.
4 min: Kazakhstan win a the first corner of the game, the ball going out off Sorba Thomas. Dastan Satpaev takes it short but the hosts mess up their set-piece and gift possession back to Wales.
3 min: Wales have lined up with a back four, defying the expectations of the Fifa graphics department, who had them playing three at the back. Brennan Johnson sends a cross from the right in the general direction of Kieffer Moore but is unable to pick out the first Wrexham player to line-up for Wales in 17 years.
1 min: Good work by Sorba Thomas down the left as he chases a ball out wide from Ben Davies but he runs into a firm wall of resistance in Kazakhstan’s Yan Vorogovskiy.
Kazakhstan v Wales is go ...
1 min: Kazakhstan get the ball rolling, their players wearing yellow shirts, shorts and socks with blue trim. Their visitors are in an all red kit.
Not long now: Both sets of players line up in the tunnel and are led out on to the pitch by Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez and his team of match officials. It’s coming up to 7pm local time in Astana and kick-off is just a few minutes away.
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Craig Bellamy: “No matter what, it’s going to be a difficult game,” said the Wales manager ahead of today’s qualifier. “Playing [Kazakhstan] at home in Cardiff was a good challenge as well, how they set up, how they look to counter-attack. They spent a long time without the ball and that usually breaks teams earlier than it did. We call it heart. I admired it. For us, do we have the quality on the day? That’s the most important. Have we prepared well? Are we able to adapt? We’ll have to take the game to them.”
The Red Wall: Wales are expected to bring around a thousand supporters to Astana today but the odyssey undertaken by one bucket hat-wearing fan to get to his seat in the away end has really captured the public imagination.
John McAllister left his home in Barry over five weeks ago and on a largely overland journey of 5,000 kilometres involving 17 train journeys and 11 bus trips, has taken in 11 different football matches, an ice hockey game, some random Irish bloke’s stag do and a heavy metal festival en route while compiling a fascinating YouTube travel vlog.
The 26-year-old’s exploits have been brought to the attention of Craig Bellamy, who along with his players hopes to meet and greet the intrepid explorer if a get-together hasn’t already been arranged. “We’ve got to see him, because it means so much to us,” the Wales manager said.
Today’s match officials
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez
Referee’s assistants: Jose Naranjo and Diego Sanchez
Fourth official: Joe Luis Nunuera
Video assistant referee: Cesar Soto Grado
Wales team news: A tip of the garish bucket hat to Kieffer Moore and Chris Mepham, who both notch up their half-century of Wales caps today. Just beginning his international journey, Cardiff City’s 19-year-old defender Dylan Lawlor makes his first appearance for his country. Well done, Dylan. Moore, Lawlor, Neco William, Liam Cullen and Josh Sheehan come into a side that features five changes from the XI who lined up for Wales narrow defeat at the hands of Belgium last time out.
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World Cup tickets: Should Wales or Kazakhstan qualify for next summer’s tournament being staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico, their fans can expect to pay top, top, top, top dollar for match tickets now that Fifa has decided to channel its inner Oasis and introduce a new dynamic pricing model. Leander Schaerlaeckens has the latest …
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Kazakhstan v Wales line-ups
Kazakhstan: Anarbekov, Kasym, Maliy, Alip, Kairov, Orazov, Kasabulat, Vorogovskiy, Satpaev, Kenzhebek, Samorodov.
Subs: Shayzada, Seisen, Zhaksybaev, Muzhikov, Chesnokov, Karaman, Zhagorov, Sviridov, Zhumat, Sultanbek Astanov, Omirtayev, Khalmatov.
Wales: Darlow, Mepham, Ben Davies, Lawlor, Thomas, Cullen, Sheehan, Wilson, Williams, Johnson, Moore.
Subs: Adam Davies, Cabango, Brooks, Koumas, Kpakio, Crew, Jordan James, Harris, Daniel James, King, Norrington-Davies, Colwill.
Early Kazakhstan team news
Since losing to Wales in Cardiff Kazakhstan have lost Askhat Tagybergen, their goalscorer and captain on the night, to international retirement. The veteran stood down following his side’s defeat at the hands of North Macedonia citing his wish to make way for new blood in the national side. Arguably Kazakhstan’s brightest prospect, the 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev made his senior international debut in that game against Wales and the Astana striker will join Chelsea once he turns 18.
His Kairat Almaty teammate, Alexander Zarutskyi, misses out through injury today after being forced off during the first leg of his team’s Champions League playoff first leg against Celtic and is likely to be replaced by Astana’s Mukhammedzhan Seysen.
Early Wales team news
Wales go into this game suffering from a litany of injuries, with the loss of Leeds duo Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon arguably the ones that will hurt the most. Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward and his teammate Nathan Broadhead have also been ruled out, while Jay Dasilva and Connor Roberts are also numbered among the Cymru lame and halt.
Currently playing his club football in Mexico with Pumas UNAM, Aaron Ramsey has been omitted from the squad due to lack of match fitness following his return to action from a hamstring injury. Bellamy insists the 34-year-old midfielder features in his future plans but the pair agreed Ramsey would miss this game and Wales’ friendly against Canada on Tuesday because he has only played once since March.
In the absence of so many experienced players, Cardiff City duo Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio have earned their first international call-ups, although there is no place in the squad for their fellow Bluebird, Ruben Colwill despite the 23-year-old midfielder’s impressive start to the season. Bellamy explained he was “very close” to being selected but added that he wants to “see more” from him. Colwill’s younger brother and Cardiff teammate, Joel, did make the cut and is included in a Wales squad for the first time.
Group J: Kazakhstan v Wales
A lengthy hop from Cardiff, the Astana Arena is the venue for today’s match between Kazakhstan and a Wales side who have never travelled further for a World Cup qualifier. While many Uefa groups are only getting started in the current international window, Group J is already well under way and Wales currently sit second behind leaders North Macedonia, who have one point more than Craig Bellamy’s side after four games each. Belgium currently occupy third spot but will overtake both the teams ahead of them if they win their two games in hand.
The upshot is that today’s match is veering perilously close to must-win territory for the Welsh and is unquestionably of the must-not-lose variety. Despite travelling around 3,500 kilometres to fulfill this fixture on an artificial pitch that isn’t entirely to their manager’s liking, the visitors will be hopeful of repeating their victory over the Kazakhs in Cardiff back in March. A more emphatic and less nervy win would be welcome. Kick off in the Kazakh capital is at 3pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
