Wales opened their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan.
Daniel James gave Wales an early advantage in front of a near-capacity 32,473 crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium but that was wiped out by Askhat Tagybergen’s penalty, awarded after Connor Roberts had handled.
Kazakhstan were threatening to throw a spanner in the works but skipper Ben Davies and Rabbi Matondo, with his first Wales goal in the final minute, ensured a winning start for Craig Bellamy’s side.
Wales substitute Rabbi Matondo made the win safe by adding a late third
It was only then that Welsh fans could breathe easily, but Bellamy will be delighted to bank three points before a tougher assignment in North Macedonia on Tuesday.
For the first-ever men’s meeting between the two nations, Bellamy made four changes from their previous fixture in November – a 4-1 win against Iceland that took his unbeaten start to a record-extending six games.
Karl Darlow got the nod over Danny Ward in goal and Roberts, Sorba Thomas and David Brooks also returned to the starting line-up after Wales had topped their Nations League group.
Kazakhstan, at 110th in the FIFA standings, arrived a whopping 81 places below Wales but with a proud record against British teams having beaten Scotland in 2019 and Northern Ireland twice in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Wales started slowly with several misplaced passes and poor touches before taking a ninth-minute lead.
A corner routine broke down but swift pressing from Liam Cullen and Davies saw the ball break to James, and his shot deflected off Aleksandr Marochkin to wrongfoot Alexandr Zarutskiy in the visitors’ goal.
Daniel James opened the scoring in Cardiff
It was James’ eighth international goal and the Leeds winger was the main source of Welsh attacking danger as events unfolded.
James went down under a Nuraly Alip challenge when howls for a penalty were ignored, but Lithuanian referee Donatas Rumsas would soon be pointing to the spot.
Islam Chesnokov’s 32nd-minute cross struck Roberts from close proximity, but the full-back’s arm was away from his body and there was always likely to be one outcome despite a lengthy VAR check.
Tagybergen’s kick trickled over the line in slow motion after striking Darlow, Kazakhstan’s first goal in seven competitive matches stretching back to November 2023.
Roberts was central to the next talking point after being felled by Maxim Samorodov, with the full-back caught on the back of the calf.
Rumsas was sent to the pitchside monitor for another VAR check and after inspection decided that a yellow card, and not red, was enough punishment for Samorodov.
Two minutes after the re-start Thomas won a corner that he drilled to the far post, and met by Davies with a bullet header for only his third goal in 93 appearances.
Cullen fired over after good work by Brooks and substitute Jordan James was denied by Zarutskiy’s sprawling save as Wales ramped up the pressure.
But Wales had to wait until the 90th minute for nerves to be calmed completely.
Jordan James sprayed a delicious pass to Thomas and his trickery allowed him to deliver a cross that Matondo gleefully dispatched.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Last Night in Baseball: Juan Soto is hitting like Juan Soto again
<!--> There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves.That's why we're here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days' games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:Juan Soto is heating upIt’s not that Juan Soto was struggling, exactly. When we checked in on the Mets earlier this week, they had become the first team to 20 wins in 2025, even with Soto hitting well below his usual standards, but his standards are lofty. Entering last weekend, he had still managed a .364 on-base percentage, which is nothing to scoff at even if his usual power hadn’t awoken from its winter slumber just yet.ADVERTISEMENT -->In the last week, Soto has done nothing but hit. His last seven […]
Valladolid: veja a provável escalação contra o Barcelona pela LaLiga
Valladolid recebe o Barcelona pela LaLiga (foto: Fran Santiago/Getty Imagens) Rebaixado antecipadamente para a Segunda Divisão do futebol espanhol, o Valladolid recebe o Barcelona. O duelo está marcado para ocorrer neste sábado (3), a partir das 16h (horário de Brasília), no estádio José Zorrilla. “Apesar de ser um orgulho estar neste cargo, sabia que a situação era difícil e é um sofrimento interno. É doloroso”, iniciou Álvaro Rubio, treinador da equipe mandante. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Temos que ser profissionais, concentrar no trabalho diário e ter o máximo de dignidade para acabar a temporada”, acrescentou. O momento é de reconstrução. O clube perdeu 25 dos 33 jogos de LaLiga (Campeonato Espanhol) que disputou até o momento. Além disso, é a equipe que menos fez gols (24) e mais sofreu (81). PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Somos conscientes de que não fizemos uma boa temporada. […]
Barcelona tem desfalques de peso contra o Valladolid pela LaLiga; veja a lista
Hansi Flick vai mudar a escalação do Barcelona (foto: divulgação/FCB) O Barcelona tem desfalques para o duelo contra o Valladolid. O primeiro deles é Jules Koundé. O francês se machucou contra a Internazionale de Milão. O atleta utilizou as redes sociais para se comunicar com o público. “Desapontado por me machucar neste momento da temporada, quando tudo está em jogo, mas às vezes não podemos controlar tudo”, iniciou. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Confio totalmente na capacidade do time fazer o trabalho, independentemente de quem estiver em campo. Obrigado a todos pelo apoio. Significa muito”, finalizou Koundé. Com isso, o Barcelona muda o time titular. Eric García já atuou como lateral-direito, mas Ronald Araújo também pode jogar em tal posição. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE Além disso, o técnico Hans-Dieter Flick oficializou que vai trocar o goleiro. Ter Stegen volta à titularidade após ficar meses afastado […]
Inside Leafs hero Max Pacioretty’s playoff drive: ‘Who knows how long you have?’
It was February in Calgary, it was cold, and Max Pacioretty was already talking about the playoffs.He and John Tavares had just been huddled shoulder to shoulder at their stalls in the old-school visitors’ dressing room at Scotiabank Saddledome, an arena that’s been around for over 40 years.Pacioretty, 36, and Tavares, 34, were talking like, well, old-school guys — the “right” way to play the game kind of stuff.Advertisement“I guess in our opinion,” Pacioretty said, “the old-school way of give-and-go hockey, not hanging onto (the puck) for too long is the way we both came into the league and how (the game) was played. It seems like it’s a bit of a lost art amongst some of the young guys. But not really our team.”A conversation that was initially about the brewing connection between Pacioretty and Tavares, on the ice […]
Green Impact fancied for 2000 Guineas glory at Newmarket
Kate Tracey, Sam Boswell and Declan Rix return in search of winners across a massive weekend of racing on the latest episode of Weekend Winners.On Saturday afternoon, all eyes will be on Newmarket for the first British Classic of the season - the 2000 Guineas. Ten runners are set to go to post over the mile at Headquarters, with Field Of Gold well-fancied early in the market for the John Gosden and Juddmonte combination. YouTube This content is provided by YouTube, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable YouTube cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to […]
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Andy Pages is suddenly unstoppable
Just in case you have a fantasy baseball team with needs to address, we’re pleased to offer a list of under-rostered players for your consideration. Let’s patch up those damaged squads, people.Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (43% rostered)Ten days ago, Pages was barely clinging to his job, hitting just .159/.274/.270 for the season. From that point forward, he’s basically been the best hitter in baseball — possibly ever.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPages has simply been blisteringly hot over his last eight games, going 18-for-33 with four homers, seven extra-base hits, nine RBI and three steals. He managed to raise his season batting average to .292 during the binge. On Wednesday, he was hitting fifth in the Dodgers batting order.It should go without saying that no player — not prime Barry Bonds, not Ted Williams — could possibly sustain the level of elite play […]
Related
Green Impact fancied for 2000 Guineas glory at Newmarket
Kate Tracey, Sam Boswell and Declan Rix return in search of winners across a massive weekend of racing on the latest episode of Weekend Winners.On Saturday afternoon, all eyes will be on Newmarket for the first British Classic of the season - the 2000 Guineas. Ten runners are set to go to post over the mile at Headquarters, with Field Of Gold well-fancied early in the market for the John Gosden and Juddmonte combination. YouTube This content is provided by YouTube, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable YouTube cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to […]
Celtic’s Jota out for up to nine months
Celtic winger Jota has been ruled out for between six and nine months, manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed.The 26-year-old - who returned to the club from Rennes for £8m in January - picked up a serious knee injury during last weekend's 5-0 away win at Dundee United. He was taken off during the first half at Tannadice Park as Celtic sealed a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title and left the stadium on crutches."It's not great news for him and for us," Rodgers told Sky Sports News."It didn't look as bad, but when he had the scan on his knee, it looks like he will probably be out for six to nine months. "He's done his cruciate and little bit of other damage in there. "He's quite upbeat and philosophical about it. He's had a challenging couple of years after his […]
Ange confirms Bergvall out for rest of season
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has confirmed midfielder Lucas Bergvall has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury.Bergvall was absent from the matchday squad for the 3-1 win against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday after picking up an ankle injury in the build-up to the first leg of their Europa League semi-final. Speaking ahead of the meeting with West Ham on Sunday, Postecoglou said: "Lucas [Bergvall], looks like the injury is significant to keep him out for the rest of the season. He tweaked the ligaments in his ankle."The Spurs boss also offered updates on Dominic Solanke and James Maddison, who were forced off with knocks during the win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as captain Heung-Min Son who has missed the last five games.He added: "Dom [Solanke], we don't think is anything too serious. He […]
Fernandez proving indispensable to Maresca and Chelsea
Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know stories from up and down the Premier League. This week: 🔵 Fernandez flourishing further forward💪 Welbeck to trouble Newcastle again?🍒 Iraola setting the tone at Bournemouth🔎 A player to watch this weekendFernandez has become an attacking forceWhen Chelsea faced Sunday's opponents Liverpool in October, their record signing Enzo Fernandez was unceremoniously dropped. "We don't have indispensable players," said Enzo Maresca. Maybe they do now. Fernandez might just have changed his head coach's mind.Since returning to the starting line-up in a 2-1 win over Leicester in November in which he scored the decisive goal, Fernandez has started 22 Premier League games out of 23. He faces Arne Slot's side this time as probably Chelsea's most important player. […]
Cook earns maiden England Test call up as Crawley retained
Essex seamer Sam Cook has earned a maiden England call up, joining county team-mate Jordan Cox as the only uncapped players in a 13-strong squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.Cook's call up is reward for years of consistent performances on the county circuit for a number of years, averaging 19.77 with the ball. He joins Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue as the seam options available to captain Ben Stokes at Trent Bridge from May 22, with Stokes himself fit to feature after having surgery on the hamstring he tore in the third Test of England's series win in New Zealand in December. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player England's Test captain Ben Stokes showcased his fitness in an Instagram video, highlighting a big step in his recovery from a hamstring injury, sustained last […]
Groves: Why Eubank Jr should retire
Chris Eubank Jr has an agreement in place for a potential rematch with Conor Benn, but he has been urged to consider other options.Eubank Jr beat Benn in an all-out brawl at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium last Saturday. In the immediate aftermath of that contest, Benn insisted he wanted "revenge" even though he could yet return to welterweight to pursue his title ambitions.But George Groves, the former world champion and Sky Sports boxing pundit, believes Eubank Jr should retire rather than fight on. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Speaking on Toe2Toe, Andy Scott and Andy Clarke look back at the iconic moment Chris Eubank Jr and his father were reunited ahead of the fight against Conor Benn Groves has sparred Eubank and fought him in a high-profile world title bout up at super-middleweight. He advised […]
Be the first to leave a comment