Top match in qualifying World Cup-2026.
Ideal 30 minutes
Of course, by the names, the Belgian team is a favorite in a match with Wales in particular and Group J in general. Therefore, what happened in the first 30 minutes of the match surprised no one. The start of the match for Rudy Garcia’s wards was simply excellent: three goals, demoralization of the opponent (who would have thought the game would go like this). During the first dangerous attack, a penalty was won, it was scored by Romel Lukaku.
In the 20th minute, the “Red Devils” scored a second goal. The attack was tightly designed – De Bruiny passed to Lukaku, who put it into Tilemans, a couple of passes from Maxim de Kuper – and the ball flew into the near corner after Yuri’s shot. Of course, the Welsh goalkeeper can be blamed – but only partially. The near corner is always a goalkeeper’s fault. On the other hand, the team simply didn’t show any pressure; there was no defensive structure. At the same time, the Belgian attack can’t be called reactive. Wales didn’t have time to return to defense, and the hosts took advantage.
Almost immediately, the Welsh had a chance to recover, but the backline players plucked up the courage and dragged first the gap, then the uncomfortable long-range shot. On top of that, the “Red Devils” brought the score to a crushing 30th minute, and the winner seemed already a given. Wales were in a complete shambles.
Two identical mistakes could have cost them victory.
What happened next can be explained in different ways. But it’s very reminiscent of -2022. The team was torn apart by internal conflicts, with players arguing among themselves and at least one pattern of play being erased on the pitch. Then, after a minimal victory over Canada, they hosted Morocco (0:2) and were unable to do anything with the age-related Croatia (0:0).From that moment on, the atmosphere in the locker room probably remained almost unchanged. As a result, the “Red Devils” managed to blow their three-goal lead—and did so in the most absurd way possible. The Welshmen managed to reduce the deficit by the halftime whistle. A penalty was awarded to Belgium, Wilson was spot-on. The next two goals were the same mistake by the owners.
Twice, the Red Devils’ right flank failed them. In the 51st minute, a general fire broke out. The Welsh attack quickly passed through the center of the field – Johnson’s simplest wall, and Wilson left Aunt and Fesa behind him on the left flank, rushing into the final third without resistance. Onana sank in to secure the ball, the line shifted – unsupervised, the right flank was where Thomas ran. De Winter went too far and didn’t have time to cover the shot.
The second ball – De Winter lost sight of Thomas again, received a cast and put the ball under Johnson. In the 70th minute, it was all over again this time, the psychological advantage was with the Welsh.
Bruinne’s top match
The appearance of the inexperienced and unreliable Winter decided the Cambet pillar – it’s good for Rud Garcia that he at least thought about not cleaning up Kevin de Bruyne. The midfielder had an excellent game – many of the Red Devils’ attacks went through him. Kevin covered a huge square – he could move to the flank and set the width of the attacks, take the game and go with the flow – that’s how he earned a penalty that Romelu made.
The playmaker’s advantages weren’t limited to strokes and finding the right moment to pass – Kevin himself has a perfect sense of the moment, so he’s capable of getting forward. Even in the first half, he was able to take the Belgians into a gap when he saw an area between the defenders to make it 2-0. He opened up under the transfer to the move of the documents – then the precision was slightly summed up, the ball swept millimeters off the bar. But at the decisive moment, Pep Guardiola’s favorite (and future Napoli player) was spot on. At 3:3, Kevin saw space on the left flank, and the defenders failed to notice his movements. At the same time, the feed from the right edge was prepared. De Bruyne himself opened up on a long crossbar, received a pass, and closed it down without resistance.
Such games will happen to both Garcia and the entire team.
It was an even match; it can’t be said that Belgium played for an unconditional victory. The Welsh took a big chance at 0:3, so the “Red Devils” also gave their opponents two points. The difference is that at the decisive moment, the Belgians found an elite player who can create a moment for a slaughter.
So, despite the victory, the results of the June matches for the Belgian national team and Rudy Garcia are personally disappointing. The team is in a fever, even against rivals they should have beaten in class. Granted, they ultimately took three points from the Welships. But that won’t always happen—and, for example, in the first round, the Red Devils lost to North Macedonia. Kazakhstan is also a tough opponent; they’ll have to be tough. One or two such mistakes and the Belgians will be out of the running.
The Belgians themselves surely understand this. Therefore, Rudy Garcia is the threat of departure. From the very beginning, there were doubts about his candidacy—the specialist failed to convince Napoli, agreeing to work in Saudi Arabia before the league was flooded with world stars. While Belgium is afloat, Garcia is doing well—but not for long.
De Bruyne
De Bruyne
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