Key events
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.
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.
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.
