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    Cymru vs. Belgium | 2027 European Under-21 Championship – Qualifying competition – Grp9

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        Live ReportMatch Summary

        3. Match summary

          Cymru are without a win following their second match of the U21 Championship qualifiers after suffering another heavy defeat in the group as Belgium ran out convincing winners as they scored seven without reply.

          Belgium opened the scoring after Jorthy Mokio converted from close range. This gave the visitors control of the tie but Cymru could have equalised with Ben Lloyd seeing an effort cleared off the line and a lovely strike from Tanatswa Nyakuhwa was denied by a good save from Mike Penders.

          Either side of half-time Belgium increased their lead. Lucas Stassin scored the second and Romeo Vermant added the third.

          Belgium’s dominance continued as Stassin scored his second of the evening after Cymru were reduced to 10 players when Cameron Darby was sent off for a second bookable offence. Diego Moreira then scored a wonderful curling strike into the net for their fifth.

          Norman Bassette scored from the penalty spot after Sam Parker fouled Stanis Idumbo in the box. The Belgian’s still weren’t finished as Noah Adedeji-Sternberg scored the seventh in added time.

          It’s been a tough start to the UEFA U21 Championship qualifiers for Cymru following their opening match defeat to Denmark and this loss to Belgium, which leaves Matty Jones’ team bottom of the group.

          Cymru’s next match is against Austria at the Hofmann Personal Stadion, Linz with a 5pm kick off. The match is live on S4C’s Sgorio.

        4. Full-time summary

          A tough night for Cymru as Belgium show their class with seven goals. Three of the goals came after Ed James was sent off for a second bookable offence but the damage was already done by then. Belgium took the lead after the fourth minute, following which they never looked back. Whilst Belgium dominated the match, Cymru did create chances but without scoring, they were unable to put any doubt in the visitors minds.

        5. 90' + 2'

          Goal

          Noah Adedeji-Sternberg

        6. 90' + 2'

          Goal

          Noah Adedeji-Sternberg

        7. 90' + 1'

          Belgium net a seventh through Adedeji-Sternberg.

        8. 84'

          Penalty

          Norman Bassette

        9. 84'

          Bassette sends Benjamin the wrong way from the spot for Belgium’s sixth goal.

        10. 84'

          Penalty

          Norman Bassette

        11. 83'

          Yellow card

          PARKER Samuel David

        12. 83'

          Belgium are awarded a penalty after Parker fouls Idumbo in the box.

        13. 83'

          Yellow card

          PARKER Samuel David

        14. 77'

          Substitution

          Stanis Idumbo replaces Romeo Vermant

        15. 77'

          Substitution

          Mathis Servais replaces Diego Moreira

        16. 77'

          Substitution

          Mathis Servais replaces Diego Moreira

        17. 76'

          Substitution

          Stanis Idumbo replaces Romeo Vermant

        18. 74'

          Yellow card

          ANDREWS Kai

        19. 74'

          Yellow card

          ANDREWS Kai

        20. 71'

          Substitution

          Noah Adedeji-Sternberg replaces Samuel Mbangula

        21. 70'

          Substitution

          Norman Bassette replaces Lucas Stassin

        22. 70'

          Substitution

          Noah Adedeji-Sternberg replaces Samuel Mbangula

        23. 70'

          Substitution

          Jorne Spileers replaces Matteo Dams

        24. 70'

          Substitution

          Norman Bassette replaces Lucas Stassin

        25. 70'

          Moreira curls the ball into the net for Belgium’s fifth goal. It was a lovely finish.

        26. 70'

          Substitution

          Jorne Spileers replaces Matteo Dams

        27. 70'

          Goal

          Diego Moreira

        28. 69'

          Goal

          Diego Moreira

        29. 68'

          Substitution

          HOWELLS Jarrad Owen replaces HARRIS Luke

        30. 66'

          From the corner, Stassin does get the fourth goal. Belgium now lead Cymru 4-0.

        31. 65'

          Goal

          Lucas Stassin

        32. 65'

          Goal

          Lucas Stassin

        33. 65'

          Moreira nearly adds a fourth from the resulting free kick but Benjamin saves well.

        34. 64'

          Substitution

          HAMMOND Benjamin replaces HARRIS Luke

        35. 64'

          Substitution

          ISSAKA Frederick replaces NYAKUHWA Tanatswa

        36. 64'

          Substitution

          ISSAKA Frederick replaces NYAKUHWA Tanatswa

        37. 63'

          Cymru are down to 10 players after Darby receives a second yellow for a foul challenge.

        38. 63'

          Yellow card

          JAMES Ed

        39. 62'

          Yellow card

          JAMES Edward

        40. Congreve takes a shot from the edge of the box, it has power but he directs it over the bar.

        41. 49'

          Goal

          Romeo Vermant

        42. 49'

          From the resulting corner Vermant heads in at the near post. Belgium now lead 3-0.

        43. 49'

          Goal

          Romeo Vermant

        44. 48'

          Stassin sees his strike saved by Cymru’s Benjamin.

        45. 47'

          Substitution

          POPOV Christopher replaces LLOYD Ben

        46. 46'

          Substitution

          POPOV Christopher replaces LLOYD Ben

        47. 46'

          Substitution

          GILES Luey replaces HARRIS Archie

        48. 46'

          Substitution

          PARKER Samuel David replaces BLAND Jonathan

        49. 46'

          Substitution

          PARKER Samuel David replaces BLAND Jonathan

        50. Belgium get the second half underway.

        51. 46'

          Substitution

          GILES Luey replaces HARRIS Archie

        52. Half-time summary

          Belgium showed some class in the first half with their goals from Jorthy Mokio and Lucas Stassin but Cymru did create chances of their own but were denied on several occasions by Mike Penders. Matty Jones will spend the interval looking to see what he may change during the second half to find a way back into the match for Cymru.

        53. 45' + 2'

          Yellow card

          JAMES Edward

        54. 45' + 2'

          Yellow card

          JAMES Ed

        56. 40'

          Goal

          Lucas Stassin

        57. 40'

          Goal! Another Belgium attack and when Dams sends a low cross through the box, Stassin is on hand to slot it away for 2-0.

        58. 40'

          Goal

          Lucas Stassin

        59. 39'

          Benjamin makes a fantastic save to tip the ball over the bar from Moreira’s shot.

        60. 📸 Cameron Congereve on the ball for Cymru.

        61. 30'

          Cymru are still looking for an equaliser and whilst they’re creating chances, they can’t find a way through the Belgium defence.

        62. 23'

          Moreira is looking impressive for Belgium on the left and after he goes on an intricate run, he smashes his shot against the post.

        63. 20'

          Nyakuhwa meets the ball at the far post with a header following a cross from the right but Penders makes the save.

        64. 18'

          Mbangula strikes a low ball from outside the box but the shot is saved by Benjamin.

        66. 12'

          Belgium do well to clear the corner away from danger to maintain their lead.

        67. 11'

          Cymru force a corner with a strike from Nyakuhwa that’s saved by Penders.

        68. 📸 The starting XI

        69. 6'

          Cymru come so close to equalising as Lloyd sees his strike cleared off the Belgian line.

        70. 4'

          Goal

          Jorthy Mokio

        71. 4'

          Goal

          Jorthy Mokio

        72. 4'

          Goal! Belgium take the lead from a corner kick as Mokio is left with space to slot the ball into the back of the net.

        73. 1'

          KICK OFF!

          Cymru get the game underway.

        74. The team show their support for Show Racism the Red Card ahead of kick off.

        76. Charlie Crew will captain Cymru this evening.

          Freddie Issaka has also been called up to the squad this week in place of Cian Ashford.

        78. Matty Jones has named his starting XI to play Belgium U21.

        79. Team news coming soon.

        81. DIWRNOD Y GÊM 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇧🇪

          Cymru face Belgium at Rodney Parade tonight as they continue their U21 EURO qualifying campaign 💪

        82. LOCAL SCHOOLS ENJOY CYMRU TRAINING EXPERIENCE

          Pupils from local schools had a memorable afternoon on Thursday as they attended a special open training session with Cymru at Rodney Parade.

          The young fans watched Matty Jones’ side go through their paces on the pitch, gaining a unique insight into the preparation of elite players.

          Following the session, pupils had the chance to meet the players, posing for photos, collecting autographs, and taking home signed memorabilia.

          It was a day to remember for the youngsters, many of whom left with smiles on their faces and unforgettable memories of meeting the Cymru squad.

        83. PREPERATIONS CONTINUE 👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

          Cymru continued preparations for their upcoming EURO qualifier against Belgium at Rodney Parade on Thursday afternoon.

        85. MEET THE OFFICIALS

          Ante Čulina will take charge of Cymru’s UEFA qualifier against Belgium on Friday evening. The Croatian referee is a regular official in the SuperSport HNL, Croatia’s top domestic league, and frequently features in UEFA competitions, including the UEFA Youth League, UEFA Europa Conference League, and the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.

          His most recent appointment was on 17 September, officiating the UEFA Youth League group stage match between Olympiacos YL and Pafos FC YL.

          At Rodney Parade, Čulina will be supported by Ivan Mihalj (CRO) and Kristijan Novosel (CRO) as assistant referees, with Antonio Melnjak (CRO) acting as the fourth official.

        86. BEN LLOYD AHEAD OF FACING BELGIUM

          “We know how strong they’re going to be but we don’t need to fear them. We know what we need to do, how we need to play, and if all the lads are together I’m sure we’ll come out with a real positive result.

          “The support at Rodney Parade is massive for us. If we can get more and more people through the door it’s makes a huge difference.

          “I think this October camp is a big one for us in terms of picking up results. If we could get six points from the next two games it would be huge for us, and if we did that it would be a statement in the group.”

        87. GK UNION 🧤

        88. WORKING TOWARDS BELGIUM 💪

        90. THE TABLE AS IT STANDS

          Here is how Group I stands as Cymru go into their October double-header against Belgium and Austria.

        91. HEAD-TO-HEAD

          Belgium have historically held the advantage in this fixture, winning three of their six encounters with Cymru. In contrast, Cymru have managed just two victories and one draw.

          The most recent competitive meeting between the two sides took place in 2020 during EURO qualifying, where Belgium secured a convincing 5-0 home win.

        93. OPPOSITION LOWDOWN | BELGIUM

          Gill Swerts is the current head coach of Belgium’s U21 national team. A former Red Devil and professional footballer, Swerts had a notable playing career at clubs including Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar—winning the 2008–09 Eredivisie title with the latter.

          He began his professional journey with Excelsior in the 2001–02 season and went on to represent clubs such as ADO Den Haag, Vitesse, SønderjyskE NAC Breda, and Notts County. In 2016, he joined RFC Seraing in Belgium’s third tier, later moving to KFC Lille in the sixth tier. He retired in June 2019 to focus on coaching youth at Royal Antwerp.

          Swerts signed a new deal in August to continue leading the U21s, aiming to facilitate the transition of young talent into the senior national team.

        94. MATTY JONES ON HOME SUPPORT OF THE RED WALL

          “There’s no bigger thing than to feel supported and feel that people have got your backs,” he explained.

          “It’s all credit to our media team and the department that spend a lot of time engaging with people out there in the community, as well as some of our players and myself.

          “You’ve got to put that effort in to connect, and once you’ve got that connection, you bring people on board.”

        96. MATTY JONES PRIDE IN CYMRU U21 MENTALITY AHEAD OF QUALIFYING DOUBLE

          “It fills me with confidence knowing that this way of playing has given us huge amounts of success,” explained Jones. “For that 30-minute period against the top seeds in Denmark, we really went toe-to-toe, and we were able to capitalise and score two goals. So, it put us in a position probably we’d never been in before, and that’s what’s exciting about this period we’re going through.

          “We take a lot of pride on our winning mentality, and we speak about our competitiveness within our environment on and off the pitch. We’re asking players to adapt to a new style of play, which is phenomenally exciting.

          “It excites every coaching member of staff, and it excites the players, but I think the question is how long we can sustain that for in any given game, and against the top seeds.”

        97. SQUAD ANNOUCEMENT

          Matty Jones has announced his 23-player Cymru squad for the upcoming UEFA U21 EURO 2027 qualifiers against Belgium and Austria in Group I.

          Following their opening defeat to Denmark at Rodney Parade earlier in September, Jones’ side will be looking to bounce back as they continue their qualifying campaign in a competitive five-team group that also includes Belarus.

          There are welcome returns for Lewys Benjamin and Archie Harris, who rejoin the squad for the first time since May after injury, while Cardiff City’s uncapped Dakarai Mafico is involved.

          Charlie Crew and Kai Andrews are also included in the squad, having recently been involved in Craig Bellamy’s senior national team camp during the last international window.

        99. There is no live report available for this match

        Lineups

        Starting

          Substitutes

            Starting

              Substitutes

                Table

                P
                Gd
                Pts

                Match Info

                Stadium

                Date & Time

                Referee

                Fourth Official

                Assistant Referees

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