Cymru 2-0 Belarus
- UEFA EURO 2027 Qualifying
- Friday, 27 March 2026
- Rodney Parade, Newport
Cymru U21 secured an impressive 2-0 victory over Belarus at Rodney Parade to claim their second win of the UEFA EURO 2027 qualifying campaign and climb off the bottom of Group I.
Matty Jones’ side started brightly but were given an early warning inside the opening minute when Trofim Melnichenko fired narrowly wide for the visitors. Cymru quickly settled into the contest and began to assert themselves, with Kai Andrews seeing an effort cleared off the line after a strong run down the right.
The breakthrough arrived on 15 minutes. Cameron Congreve threaded an excellent through ball into the path of Gabriele Biancheri (above), who showed composure to fire Cymru into the lead. It was a deserved advantage for the hosts, who continued to play with confidence and purpose.
Belarus remained a threat on the counter-attack, and Kirill Gomanov forced a save from Kit Margetson midway through the half, but Cymru’s defence reacted well to clear the danger. At the other end, Cian Ashford impressed with a driving run before testing the Belarus defence as Cymru pushed for a second.
That second goal came just before the break. Congreve was again at the heart of the move, delivering a dangerous corner that Archie Harris (below) met with a powerful header to double Cymru’s lead on 41 minutes.
Cymru carried their momentum into the second half, with Biancheri going close to adding a third soon after the restart, only to be denied by Ivan Shimakovich. Belarus attempted to respond and enjoyed spells of pressure, but Cymru remained organised and resilient at the back.
As the game progressed, Cymru continued to create chances, with Harris delivering dangerous balls into the box and forcing the Belarus defence into action. Substitute Oliver Bostock was introduced to add fresh energy, while Margetson produced an important save late on to deny Timofei Simanenka and preserve the clean sheet.
Despite Belarus pushing for a route back into the game, Cymru managed the closing stages well, maintaining control and seeing out the contest.
The final whistle confirmed a deserved victory for Cymru, whose dominant first-half display laid the foundations for a confident and controlled performance.
As it happened
Cymru 2-0 Belarus
