Kevin De Bruyne's first-half masterclass was enough for Belgium to beat Wales 2-1 in the Nations League and leave Rob Page's side needing a win over Poland on Sunday to avoid relegation from Group A4.
De Bruyne gave Belgium the lead (10) with a beautiful left-footed finish on the outside of the box, and Wales was unable to respond. Before halftime, the Man City playmaker continued to cause chaos, setting up former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi (37) with a low cross to make it 2-0.
Wales had a chance to stage a comeback after Kieffer Moore’s early second-half goal (50), but not even the captain’s substitution, Gareth Bale, could secure an equaliser for a depleted Wales team that put in a spirited second-half performance in their penultimate game before the World Cup.
Prior to Sunday’s last Group A4 encounter against Poland in Cardiff, Wales is in danger of being demoted from the top division of the championship. The Netherlands now lead the standings by three points, and Belgium has to defeat them by a score of at least two on Sunday in order to advance to the Nations League finals.
How Wales fell short in Brussels
Ten minutes into the game, Belgium started slowly before De Bruyne produced a standout performance that broke the tie. Wayne Hennessey just managed to get a fingertip to his left-footed first-time finish on the edge of the area after being set up by Batshuayi’s superbly weighted ball.
Wales broke down after giving up the opening goal, but Belgium never looked back. De Bruyne came close to doubling his total just before the half-hour mark in Brussels as Roberto Martinez’s team played pranks on the foreigners.
When Belgium did ultimately make it 2-0, De Bruyne was once again involved as he paid it forward by setting up Batshuayi with an inch-perfect cross that the former Chelsea forward – replacing in for the injured Romelu Lukaku – tapped home from close range just before halftime.
Moore totally outclassed Belgium’s 18-year-old center-back Zeno Debast on his debut for his country as he met Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson’s back-post cross with a thunderous header in the second half to help Wales recover.
The Wales captain, Bale, contributed from the bench as Page’s team persisted in seeking an equalizer. They were in danger when the referee signaled for a penalty following Joe Morrell’s legal challenge on De Bruyne, but the VAR spared them.
When Connor Roberts headed the ball down to Forest striker Johnson in the box, the 21-year-old had a last-second opportunity to score, but he was unable to direct his effort in that direction. As time ran out, Martinez, the head coach of Belgium, was dismissed for holding onto the ball for an excessive amount of time.
What's next?
On Sunday, Wales will play their last Nations League game of their Group A4 campaign against Poland at home.
Wales’ final competitive match before traveling to Qatar to compete in their first World Cup in 64 years will begin at 7:45 p.m. in Cardiff.
On November 21 at the Al Rayyan Stadium, Rob Page’s group’s inaugural matchup was against the USA.
