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    Kazakhstan vs. Cymru | 2026 FIFA World Cup – European Qualifiers – Group J

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        Live ReportMatch Summary

        1. Cymru move top of Group J ahead of Belgium test

          Cymru moved to the top of Group J on Thursday with just three games remaining in this exciting 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

          Kieffer Moore scored the only goal of the game on his 50th international appearance as Craig Bellamy’s side came through a difficult contest against Kazakhstan in Astana.

          Later that evening, Belgium made light work of Liechtenstein in Vaduz as Rudi Garcia’s side claimed a 6-0 victory, with five of the goals coming in the 2nd half. Captain Youri Tielemans scored twice for Belgium who remain undefeated after their opening three games.

          The action continues next month when Belgium head to Cardiff for what is now a huge match against Cymru on 13 October. Belgium also host North Macedonia three days before and could move level on points with Cymru ahead of that crucial fixture.

        7. Match Summary:

          Cymru moved to the top of Group J with a 1-0 victory over Kazakhstan in Astana through an opening half goal from Kieffer Moore. However, the home side were resilient and determined to take something from the game and twice hit the crossbar, their last and best effort on goal coming with the very last kick of the game.

          Cymru enjoyed the majority of the possession in the early exchanges, but Kazakhstan forced the first corner of the match and that should have acted as an early warning sign. Brennan Johnson’s deflected effort on 15 minutes was the reward for the patient build-up play of the visitors, and Josh Sheehan tried his luck a minute later but fired high and wide.

          The impressive Galymzhan Kenzhebek called Karl Darlow into action on 19 minutes, but Cymru would take a deserved lead shortly after as Harry Wilson’s free kick was flicked towards goal by Liam Cullen. Goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov could only parry the ball into the path of Moore, and he made no mistake from close range on his 50th international appearance.

          The goal sparked a reaction from Kazakhstan, and it was Kenzhebek who came closest to levelling the score as his curling effort on 39 minutes went narrowly wide of Darlow’s left-hand post. It was one of a series of decent counter attacks from the home side before half-time, but Cymru held onto their lead.

          Teenager Dylan Lawlor was handed his senior international debut in the centre of defence and showed a real maturity in his play. Defensively solid to deny Kazakhstan, Lawlor also played with confidence on the ball and continually looked to play between the tight defensive lines of the home side at every opportunity.

          Kazakhstan looked a different and determined outfit after the restart with Kenzhebek hitting the crossbar and shooting narrowly wide before being surprisingly replaced just after the hour mark. Darlow had to be at his best to deny Maxim Samorodov on 75 minutes before substitute Islam Chesnokov tried his luck from a tight angle, but failed to find the target.

          The drama continued until the very last second as the home side came within an inch of claiming a share of the points with the last kick of the game. Ben Cabango conceded a free kick on the edge of the area deep into added time and Serikzhan Muzhikov thought he had earned his side a draw as his effort cleared the wall and Darlow, but the ball rebounded off the bar to the sound of the referee’s final whistle.

        8. Full-time Summary: Craig Bellamy expected a tough test against a determined Kazakhstan side and they did everything but score as Cymru claimed a valuable three points in Astana through an opening half goal from Kieffer Moore. Kazakhstan had the better chances in the match, but Cymru had the majority of possession and defended well with teenager Dylan Lawlor enjoying an exceptional debut. Although it wasn’t the most convincing victory, with Kazakhstan hitting the bar with the final kick of the match, it was enough to move Cymru top of Group J with just three games remaining.

        9. Wow! Kazakhstan hit the bar with the final kick of the match! So close from substitute Muzhikov.

        10. 90' + 2'

          Yellow card

          WILLIAMS Neco

        11. 87'

          Substitution

          Oralkhan Omirtayev replaces Dastan Satpayev

        12. Captain Davies with a vital interception to deny Kazakhstan at the back post. Cymru are still holding onto a lead that would take Bellamy’s side to the top of Group J.

        13. 86'

          Substitution

          CABANGO Benjamin replaces MEPHAM Christopher

        14. 86'

          Substitution

          Dauren Zhumat replaces Maxim Samorodov

        15. 86'

          Substitution

          Serikzhan Muzhikov replaces Ramazan Orazov

        16. Dylan Lawlor has enjoyed an excellent senior international debut

        17. 83'

          Another scare for Cymru as substitute Chesnokov shoots narrowly wide from a tight angle.

        18. 81'

          Substitution

          Ular Zhaksybayev replaces Nuraly Alip

        19. 81'

          Substitute James could have sealed it for Cymru but Anarbekov again makes a good save to keep Kazakhstan in the game.

        20. 80'

          Yellow card

          Sergei Malyy

        21. 78'

          A big chance for Cymru but Wilson is denied by a decent save from Anarbekov. The young goalkeeper has impressed for the home side.

        22. 77'

          Substitution

          JAMES Jordan Anthony replaces CULLEN Liam Jamie

        23. 77'

          Substitution

          BROOKS David replaces THOMAS Sorba

        24. Y Wal Goch

        25. 75'

          Samorodov with a fine effort but Darlow saves low to his near post. That was a huge chance for Kazakhstan who have also hit the crossbar since the restart.

        26. 72'

          A huge interception from Lawlor to deny Kazakhstan the chance of an equaliser. It’s been an impressive debut from the teenager.

        27. Liam Cullen plays the ball under pressure

        28. 68'

          A heavy blow for Wilson as he collides with goalkeeper Anarbekov who got to the ball first. Both players are back on their feet.

        29. Brennan Johnson closely marked by the Kazakhstan defence

        30. 65'

          Substitution

          JAMES Daniel Owen replaces JOHNSON Brennan

        31. 65'

          Substitution

          HARRIS Mark replaces MOORE Kieffer Roberto Francisco

        32. 65'

          Substitution

          Islam Chesnokov replaces Galymzhan Kenzhebek

        33. 64'

          Cymru calming things down in Astana as they enjoy an extended period of possession. A few changes coming up.

        34. Chris Mepham in possession on his 50th senior international appearance

        35. 58'

          Another huge scare for Cymru as the impressive Kenzhebek weaves his way through the visiting defence but his effort goes narrowly wide.

        36. 57'

          Cymru becoming increasingly frustrated as Kazakhstan look more and more confident that they can force an equaliser.

        37. 52'

          Kenzhebek with a huge chance for Kazakhstan as his effort from outside the area strikes the crossbar. That should be a wake-up call for Cymru.

        38. Josh Sheehan has an effort on goal

        39. 48'

          More decent play from Kazakhstan on the edge of the Cymru area. The home crowd reacting to the positive play of their team despite being a goal behind.

        40. 46'

          We’re back and Cymru have made a determined start to this 2nd half already. It’s clear that Bellamy has demanded a fast start from his side.

        41. Half-time Summary: Kieffer Moore celebrated his 50th cap with his 15th international goal midway through the opening half, but Kazakhstan responded well to the setback and asked a number of questions of the Cymru defence on the counter-attack before half-time. Debutant Dylan Lawlor has looked composed in defence and creative on the ball, and while Craig Bellamy will be satisfied with the lead, he will have concerns about Kazakhstan’s chances and will need his side to stay focused and disciplined against a determined home side.

        42. 41'

          Mepham trying his luck from distance but Anarbekov makes a routine save from the Cymru defender.

        43. 39'

          A great effort from Kenzhebek curls narrowly wide of Darlow’s post. Kazakhstan look determined to get an equaliser before half-time.

        44. Kieffer Moore celebrates his opening goal

        45. 30'

          Cymru cannot allow any complacency to creep in now that they have the lead. Kazakhstan have had two decent attacks since the opening goal was scored a few minutes ago.

        46. 27'

          A decent counter-attack from the home side but Lawlor deals with it well on his senior international debut.

        47. 24'

          Goal

          MOORE Kieffer Roberto Francisco

        48. 24'

          Goal

          MOORE Kieffer Roberto Francisco

        49. 24'

          GOAL! Cullen’s saved effort is parried into the path of Moore to finish on his 50th international appearance. That was Moore’s 15th goal for his country.

        50. Neco Williams crosses the ball under pressure

        51. 19'

          Kenzhebek with Kazakhstan’s first chance on goal but a comfortable save for Darlow.

        52. 16'

          A wild effort from Sheehan on the edge of the area goes high and wide. Cymru just increasing the pressure on the Kazakhstan defence a bit more now.

        53. 15'

          The first real effort of the game. An excellent cross from Thomas and Johnson’s deflected effort goes for a corner.

        54. The Cymru starting line-up

        55. 9'

          Cymru not forcing anything and playing the ball around on the edge of the Kazakhstan area and are awarded a corner for their efforts and patience.

        56. 3'

          Expect Cymru to have plenty of the ball but they will need to be patient against this determined Kazakhstan side. The early exchanges a sign of what is to come in this one.

        57. 1'

          We’re underway in Astana as Kazakhstan kick things off. As expected, Cymru continue with a back four despite the enforced changes.

        58. The Red Wall have arrived in Kazakhstan with over 1,000 fans making the 7,000 mile round trip. Diolch for your incredible support!

        59. Kick off is fast-approaching in Astana

        60. Kazakhstan have made six changes to their starting line-up to the side that lost 1-0 to North Macedonia in June. They have named highly-rated 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev in their starting line-up who is set to join Chelsea when he turns 18 next summer.

        62. Sorba Thomas and Jordan James are in good spirits ahead of the match

        65. Cymru arrive

          The Cymru squad have arrived at the Astana Arena ahead of today’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan.

          Harry Wilson (below) has scored six of his 14 senior goals for Cymru under head coach Craig Bellamy and is included in the starting line-up.

        67. Lawlor rewarded with Cymru start

          Cardiff City defender Dylan Lawlor will make his first senior appearance for Cymru today.

          The 19-year-old has impressed for his club this season and has represented his country at U16, U17, U19 and U21 level. Lawlor has made just nine senior appearances for Cardiff City in all competitions.

        68. Team news

          Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy has handed teenager Dylan Lawlor his first senior appearance by naming the Cardiff City defender in his starting line-up against Kazakhstan.

          Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore also start to earn their 50th caps for their country while Ben Davies captains the side once again in the absence of Aaron Ramsey on his 97th international appearance.

          Bellamy makes five changes to the starting line-up that lost 4-3 to Belgium in Brussels in June.

        71. Team news to follow soon

          The Cymru squad took a stroll around Astana earlier today ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan (3pm UK).

          We will bring you all the team news very soon together with live match updates, photos, analysis, opinion and post-match reaction, so keep checking back here throughout the afternoon for more.

        74. Davies – ‘We have to be at our best’

          Ben Davies also spoke to the media at the Astana Arena yesterday evening following Cymru’s final training session before the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan.

          “The key message from us is that whoever we’re playing against we have to come into the game looking to be at our best if we want to win,” he explained. “Kazakhstan showed in Cardiff that they are a difficult team to break down and we had to be patient, and we expect a tough opposition again tomorrow night.”

          Joe Rodon was one of four players to withdraw from the squad through injury this week. “Joe is a big loss for us,” Davies added. “He’s definitely a key figure in the team and has been for the last few years. But we’re confident as a team that whoever comes in has that quality.

          “There are boys who have been waiting patiently for their chance and really deserve it, they’ve shown that when they’ve had those opportunities why they deserve to be playing, so we’re lucky in that sense that we have some strength in depth.”

          Davies was also asked about the unfamiliar artificial surface at the Astana Arena and if it brought back memories of Andorra in September 2014 when Cymru claimed a narrow 2-1 victory on a very difficult pitch.

          “I know that Andorra one has been thrown around but it’s not the same,” said Davies. “This one plays quite well, we trained on it, it felt good, so just to back the manager’s message there’s no excuse from us and we’re looking forward to it now.”

        76. Bellamy excited for Kazakhstan test

          Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy spoke to the media at the Astana Arena earlier today as his squad completed their preparations for Thursday’s Group J qualifier against Kazakhstan.

          “I’m really interested to see what happens,” said Bellamy. “The travel, the pitch – it’s so exciting. This is why we’re here. We want to go to a major tournament.

          “It’s supposed to be hard. These group games are always hard, but they have to be because we’re in the European stage to qualify for what we see as the major tournament.

          “We’ve managed to earn the right three times now out of the last five tournaments, and we aren’t going away. We want it to be this one. If it isn’t, it’s going to be the next one. We love the hardness of it. I expect a really hard game.”

          Cymru opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan in Cardiff back in March and Bellamy was impressed by the performance of their opponents on the night.

          “Playing them at home in Cardiff was a good challenge as well, how they set up, how they look to counter-attack. They spent a long time without the ball and that usually breaks teams earlier than it did. We call it heart. I admired it.

          “For us, do we have the quality on the day? That’s the most important. Have we prepared well? Are we able to adapt? We’ll have to take the game to them. Whatever the circumstances, we adapt. That allows you to be excited about every game.”

        79. Appearance milestones for Mepham and Moore

          Defender Chris Mepham and striker Kieffer Moore could both earn their 50th senior Cymru caps against Kazakhstan on Thursday as Craig Bellamy’s side look to move one step closer to 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.

          Mepham, 27, made his senior debut against China back in March 2018 and signed for West Bromwich Albion last week. Meanwhile, Moore also made a summer move to Wrexham, and the 33-year-old has 14 goals for his country since making his debut against Belarus in October 2019.

        82. Welcome to Kazakhstan

          The Cymru squad arrived in Kazakhstan last night ahead of Thursday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Astana Arena.

          Craig Bellamy’s side can move to the top of Group J with current leaders North Macedonia not in action until Sunday when they take on bottom of the table Liechtenstein in Skopje.

          Meanwhile, Belgium make the journey to Liechtenstein on Thursday evening and will be expected to extend their undefeated start to the campaign as the top seeds in the group.

          Cymru’s match against Kazakhstan takes place at the Astana Arena on Thursday with kick off at the earlier time of 3pm in the UK.

        85. Meet the Ref

          Alejandro Hernández will take charge of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Kazakhstan and Cymru on Thursday.

          The Spanish official is regarded as the best in his country and took charge of the La Liga El Clasico fixture between Barcelona and Real Madrid back in May. Hernández, 42, has been a FIFA referee since 2014 and regularly officiates fixtures in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

          José Naranjo and Diego Sánchez Rojo are the assistant referees while José Luis Munuera is the fourth official. Cesar Soto Grado is the VAR and he will be assisted by Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz. All of the officials are from Spain.

        87. Thomas thriving on Bellamy belief

          Sorba Thomas was on media duty at the team base this afternoon and explained the influence of Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy on his own international career.

          “He said to me, ‘I couldn’t care less what other people think of you. I’m going to judge off what I see and what he’s seen is the real me’,” said Thomas. “When people heard stuff about me in the past, in my honest opinion, people didn’t really go out of their way to get to know who I am as a person.

          “They just wanted to judge me as a player, but not to get to know me as a person and know why I do certain things.”

          Thomas, 26, made his senior Cymru debut against the Czech Republic in October 2021 and scored his first international goal in the 4-3 defeat against Belgium (below) back in June.

          “Bellamy has brought a different side out of me,” he added. “I feel like I’m even more hungry to do well and to stake my claim in the team and for me, it’s just about improving every single day of training.

          “To play in a position which I believe is my favourite and my best position, and the gaffer believing in me here, giving me the opportunity to go and express myself and to show what I can do, it’s a massive bonus for me.”

        89. Red Wall head to Astana

          Around 1,100 Cymru fans are expected to make the long journey to Kazakhstan this week as Craig Bellamy’s side look to complete the double against their opponents in this 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

          The commitment of the Red Wall to make the 3,500 mile trip to Astana shows an incredible level of dedication and will provide a huge boost for the squad when the two teams take to the field on Thursday. Cymru claimed a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan in Cardiff back in March.

        93. Previous meetings

          This will be Cymru’s first match in Kazakhstan and around 1,000 fans are expected to make the long journey for what will be just the second meeting between the two nations.

          Kazakhstan were the visitors as the qualifying campaign began for Cymru in Cardiff back in March as goals from Dan James (below), Ben Davies and Rabbi Matondo sealed a comfortable 3-1 victory despite Askhat Tagybergen equalising from the penalty spot in the opening half.

        95. Squad announcement

          Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy has announced his squad for the upcoming fixtures against Kazakhstan and Canada.

          Ethan Ampadu and Connor Roberts miss out through injury while the decision was made not to include Aaron Ramsey as he continues his return to full fitness in Mexico.

          “He hasn’t played enough football,” explained Bellamy about Ramsey. “It wouldn’t be fair to call him up with the traveling and time distance and expect him to play any part having been out for so long, especially after a hamstring injury. It wouldn’t be responsible from us or fair to expect anything from him.”

          Five teenagers have been selected while striker Kieffer Moore and defender Chris Mepham could earn their 50th international caps. Click here for more from Craig Bellamy on his squad selection for these two games.

        96. The tale of the first ten games

          Craig Bellamy marked his tenth match as Cymru head coach with a dramatic 4-3 defeat against Belgium. It was a match that characterised everything about the identity of Bellamy’s team as preparations for the final four games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign begin.

          Cymru currently occupy second place in Group J, just one point behind North Macedonia, and now head to Astana to take on Kazakhstan. Bellamy’s side opened the qualifying campaign with a 3-1 victory over the same opponents in Cardiff back in March, a result that was followed by a draw with the current group leaders and a comfortable victory over Liechtenstein.

          Read a detailed look at Bellamy’s first ten matches here

        97. There is no live report available for this match

        Lineups

        Starting

          Substitutes

            Starting

              Substitutes

                Table

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                Match Info

                Stadium

                Date & Time

                Referee

                Fourth Official

                Assistant Referees

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