Belarus 3-0 Cymru
- UEFA Under 21 Championship Qualifying
- Friday, 14 November 2025
- Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Georgia
Cymru suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat against Belarus in Georgia to all but end any hopes head coach Matty Jones had of his side qualifying for a first U21 EURO finals.
Jones made three changes from the side that defeated Austria last month as Luey Giles, Thierry Katsukuyna and Cian Ashford were all handed a place in the starting line-up. Belarus also made three changes from the side that lost 3-2 to Austria in their last match back in September.
Jones had warned his side against complacency ahead of this potentially difficult trip to Georgia and Cymru should have taken the lead on six minutes, but they were denied by an excellent triple save from goalkeeper Ivan Shimakovich.
Belarus responded to the scare as Nikita Baranok tried his luck from outside the area two minutes later, and they would then take the lead after 14 minutes as Ruslan Myalkovski made no mistake from close range to calmly slot the ball past the advancing Lewys Benjamin.
Cymru had the better of the possession as Belarus sat back on their lead and made it increasingly difficult for their opponents to find the space necessary to create any real chances on goal. Although Cian Ashford had an effort blocked, Myalkovski and Baranok both went close to doubling the lead for Belarus before half-time.
Chris Popov, who scored the second goal in the 2-0 win over Austria, and Joel Cotterill were introduced at half-time as Cymru looked to get themselves immediately back into the match. However, on 49 minutes Belarus extended their lead as Kirill Tsepenkov capitalised on a fine run and pass from Hleb Kuchko.
With a two-goal advantage, Belarus closed ranks for long periods and made it difficult for Cymru to find a way through their defensive lines. Cymru’s best opportunities were the result of some excellent work from Ashford on the left, but Shimakovich was equal to any efforts on goal.
On 73 minutes Belarus put the result out of Cymru’s reach as substitute Radzivon Pyachura curled a superb strike from the edge of the area into the far corner of Benjamin’s goal. Belarus continued to create opportunities before the final whistle, signalling the end of both the match and Cymru’s qualification dream.
As it happened
Belarus 3-0 Cymru
