Cymru 7-1 North Macedonia
- Harry Wilson scores a hat-trick
- Cymru dominate the match
- Craig Bellamy’s team secure seeded play-off spot
- Play-off draw takes place on Thursday, 20 November
An unforgettable night at the Cardiff City Stadium as Cymru stormed into the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs with a resounding 7-1 win over North Macedonia. Harry Wilson, captain and hat-trick hero, headlined a performance that brought the very best out of Craig Bellamy’s side.
Bellamy made five changes to his starting line-up from the team that defeated Liechtenstein 1-0 on Saturday as he prepared his side for this must-win match without the suspended duo of Ethan Ampadu and Jordan James.
Wilson captained the side for the first time and Cymru’s intentions were clear from the outset as Bellamy’s offensive formation brought the best out of the pace in his frontline. Brennan Johnson and Dan James both caused problems for North Macedonia in the opening exchanges, and it set the tone for what would follow.
On 18 minutes, Andrej Stojchevski brought down David Brooks in the area and Wilson made no mistake from the resulting spot-kick. Brooks would then make it 2-0 minutes later as he converted a ball from Johnson past goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
Cymru were in a commanding position, but a defensive lapse allowed North Macedonia back into the match shortly after the restart as Bojan Miovski fired his effort past Karl Darlow. The drama continued as both teams continued to attack at every opportunity, but it was Johnson who would be the next to get the crowd on their feet.
On 37 minutes, Johnson picked up the ball on the left and drilled a superb effort into the far top corner to restore Cymru’s two-goal advantage. North Macedonia went in desperate search to reduce the deficit before half-time, but Darlow denied Enis Bardhi with a fine save from a free-kick on the edge of the area.
Cymru showed no intention of sitting on their lead and started the 2nd half in the same manner with Brooks forcing a fine save from Dimitrievski. On 57 minutes, James made it 4-1 as he collected a flick from Wilson in the area and placed his effort into the far corner to send the Red Wall wild.
Despite making a number of changes, North Macedonia conceded defeat as Cymru remained camped in their half for long periods, with Bellamy’s side looking in absolute complete control of the match. Darlow was left untroubled as the home side kept possession and pushed for more goals.
On 75 minutes, Wilson scored his second of the match to make it five with a superb free-kick from the edge of the area. It was an absolute moment of magic on a special night for Wilson and Cymru as the national anthem echoed around the stadium.
It was only fitting that Wilson would then complete his hat-trick. After being brought down in the area by Darko Velkovski, Wilson dusted himself down to convert from the resulting penalty. Cymru weren’t finished there, with substitute Nathan Broadhead rounding-off a famous night for Craig Bellamy’s side.
As it happened
Cymru 7-1 North Macedonia
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Get ready for the play-offs
