Craig Bellamy: Wales World Cup qualification hopes alive despite loss to Belgium
Phil Blanche, PA, Brussels
Craig Bellamy insisted Wales’ hopes of qualifying automatically for the World Cup were far from over despite their dramatic 4-3 defeat to Belgium.
Wales lost a seven-goal thriller in Brussels after fighting back from a 3-0 deficit, only for Kevin De Bruyne to deliver a gut punch two minutes from time.
It was Bellamy’s first defeat in 10 games in charge and Wales were also knocked off top spot in Group J by North Macedonia, 1-0 winners in Kazakhstan.
Belgium are three points behind Wales with two games in hand, and will visit Cardiff in October for the return fixture.
The group winners will qualify automatically for next summer’s finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, with Wales almost certainly guaranteed a play-off place through their Nations League results.
Wales manager Bellamy said: “I think I read something from the Belgium media – ‘an easy way to the USA’?
“There’s a lot of life in this group and today I saw a lot of life in this team. We aren’t going anywhere.
“I will have a couple of weeks now of recharging but I’m beyond proud and really excited about the future.”
Belgium led 3-0 inside 27 minutes through Romelu Lukaku – a controversial penalty awarded after De Bruyne’s shot hit the hand of Brennan Johnson – Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku.
Harry Wilson gave Wales hope from the penalty spot ahead of the break before Sorba Thomas, with his first Wales goal, and Johnson put the visitors back on level terms.
Bellamy said: “I don’t like losing. I understand the game but how you lose is more important.
“Who are you as a person? Who is your team? I see that and I’m beyond proud. We’re a good team.
”To come to a top-eight team and can we play the way we want to play? I think the Belgium players saw it as well. I won’t tell you what we discussed.”
Bellamy had promised to go on the attack in Brussels before the game and not sit back and defend against opponents ranked eighth in the world.
He said: “I understand results, I really do. But football means more to me than that. It always has done.
“I’d rather try something great and fail than do nothing and succeed. I’ve always been that way.
“I might not be great at anything but I’ll try to be. It means more. I liked that.
“I said I wasn’t coming to sit back, it’s not in my nature, don’t do it … it’s not our culture, it’s not who we are.
“So for me it was, ‘can we come to a top-eight team in the world then and come and play?’.”
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I like his attitude when talking about Cymru and football. Comes across as a very astute student of the game, and is quick to put down any idea of us being the small gallant losers, who never achieve anything. He has our team stood tall and proud, and the equal of our sporting opposition, and about time to, no more we are only a small nation and cant compete, ha has instilled belief, and the performances are showing it. Ymlean Cymru. If only all our politicians shared his belief in our people.
At 3-0 down it would have been all to easy for that game to have ended up 6 or 7-0, but the fight displayed by our team was one of the most heartening things I have seen in a long time. In the end only a goal that should have been disallowed robbed us of a valuable point. I’d much rather see us play like that than pack the defence and try for a 0-0 draw. I’m really not that bothered if we qualify for this WC at all… I certainly won’t be going to the USA and risking a… Read more »