Kevin De Bruyne scored one goal and set up another as Belgium profited from a strong first-half showing to beat Wales 2-1 in their Nations League A clash at ...
[Gareth Bale](https://www.espn.co.uk/football/player/_/id/77653/Gareth-Bale) came off the bench for Wales in the final half-hour, a positive sign for manager Rob Page ahead of their home game against [Poland](/football/team?id=471) on Sunday as they bid to avoid relegation from the pool. [Eden Hazard](https://www.espn.co.uk/football/player/_/id/101390/Eden-Hazard) as he seeks to prove his form and fitness ahead of the World Cup in Qatar starting in November. "A win keeps us in the group so it's full focus on Poland. "I think we fully deserved to win, we dominated the first half and created a lot of chances," De Bruyne told S4C. "We come away not so much disappointed -- we will take positives out of it and go again on Sunday. [Wayne Hennessey](https://www.espn.co.uk/football/player/_/id/83526/Wayne-Hennessey) in the Wales goal.
Minute-by-minute report: Join Scott Murray for all the action as these World Cup qualifiers meet in Brussels.
[Wales](https://www.theguardian.com/football/wales) out on the left. [Belgium](https://www.theguardian.com/football/belgium) could easily have had a few more. [Belgium](https://www.theguardian.com/football/belgium) ping a few triangles. [Wales](https://www.theguardian.com/football/wales) are defending desperately when Meunier bumbles onto the scene and witlessly clatters Apmadu on the edge of the box. [Belgium](https://www.theguardian.com/football/belgium) on 10. [Wales](https://www.theguardian.com/football/wales) again and lays off for Vanaken, who slips a pass down the left for Mertens. [Belgium](https://www.theguardian.com/football/belgium) out on the left. Heโs got time to trap and shape a shot towards the top right. 48 min: Tielemans shovels a diagonal pass towards Carrasco, just inside the Welsh box on the left. 67 min: The presence of Meunier down the right forces Williams into conceding a corner. James one-twos with Morrell and dinks to the far post, where Vertonghen is forced to head behind for a corner. Theyโd been given the runaround in the first half, but stood firm in the second, and could easily have snatched a draw.
Roberto Martinez's men returned to action a short time ago. Sitting adrift of table-topping Netherlands in the Nations League League A Group 4 table, the Red ...
Daniel James - 6 Toby Alderweireld - 6 Thibaut Courtois - 6
Match report as Wales lose 2-1 in Brussels and stay winless in the Nations League, needing victory vs Poland to avoid relegation; Kevin De Bruyne scored and ...
Whether he pulls in a couple of surprises with a 17 or 18 year old on the bench tonight or somebody misses out. "It was a great game of football to watch. "But the second half was excellent. "A win keeps us in the group so it's full focus on Poland. Now I want to get in shape for the World Cup. If we've come from June to now where we've qualified for the World Cup and stayed in the division [League A] then that's a massive achievement for those players." "We've just got to recover the lads [for Poland on Sunday]. By qualifying for the World Cup, we're asking to compete against nations like Belgium, like Holland, and we've been in the games right up until the end. "It was always going to be a hard game. Belgium head coach Martinez was sent off in the closing stages as he held on to the ball for too long in an attempt to waste time. Bale, the Wales captain, made an impact off the bench as Page's side continued to push for an equaliser. Belgium, meanwhile, remain three points behind the table-topping Netherlands, who they must beat by a margin of two on Sunday to head to the Nations League finals.
Get a report of the Belgium vs. Wales 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, Group Stage football match.
[Gareth Bale](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/77653/Gareth-Bale) came off the bench for Wales in the final half-hour, a positive sign for manager Rob Page ahead of their home game against [Poland](/soccer/team?id=471) on Sunday as they bid to avoid relegation from the pool. [Eden Hazard](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/101390/Eden-Hazard) as he seeks to prove his form and fitness ahead of the World Cup in Qatar starting in November. "A win keeps us in the group so it's full focus on Poland. "I think we fully deserved to win, we dominated the first half and created a lot of chances," De Bruyne told S4C. "We come away not so much disappointed -- we will take positives out of it and go again on Sunday. [Wayne Hennessey](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/83526/Wayne-Hennessey) in the Wales goal.