Belgium Triumphs Over Wales 4-3 As De Bruyne Scores Late Winner Ending Bellamy's Unbeaten Start

Add as a preferred source on Google

Craig Bellamy's unbeaten run as Wales' head coach ended with a 4-3 loss to Belgium at the Stade Roi Baudouin. This World Cup qualifier defeat stopped Bellamy from equalling Mark Hughes' record of 10 unbeaten games between 2001 and 2003. Kevin De Bruyne scored the decisive goal in the 88th minute, converting Youri Tielemans' pass past Karl Darlow.

Belgium's victory pushed Wales to second place in Group J after North Macedonia's 1-0 win over Kazakhstan. Belgium, now three points behind Wales, have two games in hand. The match saw Belgium take an early lead when Romelu Lukaku scored a penalty after Brennan Johnson handled De Bruyne's shot in the box.

Youri Tielemans doubled Belgium's advantage four minutes later with a powerful shot into the net. Jeremy Doku added a third goal before the half-hour mark by cutting inside and scoring with his left foot. This marked Belgium's third-fastest 3-0 lead in 15 years, following similar leads against Estonia and Gibraltar.

Wales found hope just before halftime when Matz Sels fouled Chris Mepham, allowing Harry Wilson to score from the penalty spot. Shortly after the break, Sorba Thomas reduced the deficit further with a composed finish from Wilson’s assist.

Brennan Johnson redeemed himself for his earlier mistake by heading Sorba Thomas' cross into the net in the 69th minute, leveling the score at three each. Romelu Lukaku thought he had secured victory for Belgium late on, but his goal was disallowed as the ball had gone out of play.

The match concluded dramatically when Rudi Garcia’s team regrouped and De Bruyne scored again to secure a thrilling win for Belgium. De Bruyne has been particularly effective against Wales, having scored more goals against them than any other international opponent.

Lukaku has also been prolific for Belgium this year, scoring more goals than any other European player since January with a total of 21 goals. Belgium remains unbeaten in their last 42 qualifying matches since losing to Wales in June 2015.

Belgium's Impressive Record

This unbeaten streak is one of Europe's longest, only surpassed by Italy’s run of 56 matches between 2006 and 2017 and England’s streak of 43 matches from 2009 to 2019. The Red Devils continue to demonstrate their strength on the international stage.