Kazakhstan 0-1 Cymru
- Craig Bellamy’s team tops qualifying group with win
- Kieffer Moore scores 15th goal on 50th appearance
- Chris Mepham also earns 50th cap
- Dylan Lawlor handed Cymru debut
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.
Next up for Cymru is an international challenge match against Canada in Swansea on Tuesday, 9 September. Tickets can be secured by clicking here. Meanwhile, Cymru’s next World Cup qualifier is against Belgium on Monday, 13 October in Cardiff. Tickets for this match are available by clicking here.
Kazakhstan 0-1 Cymru
The match as it happened including post-match reaction
Cymru v Canada
Watch Cymru in Swansea on Tuesday, 9 September
