Wales Kicks Off World Cup Campaign with 3-1 Win Over Kazakhstan
Wales launched their World Cup journey with an impressive 3-1 victory against Kazakhstan at a near-capacity Cardiff City Stadium, which saw 32,473 fans in attendance. Daniel James struck first, giving Wales an early lead, but Kazakhstan quickly equalized with a penalty from Askhat Tagybergen following a handball by Connor Roberts.
Despite Kazakhstan’s threatening performance, team captain Ben Davies and Rabbi Matondo, who scored his inaugural goal for Wales in injury time, secured a strong start for manager Craig Bellamy. This victory provides critical points ahead of Wales’ challenging match against North Macedonia on Tuesday.
In their first-ever men’s encounter against Kazakhstan, Bellamy made four changes from the team that won 4-1 against Iceland last November, extending his unbeaten streak to six games. Karl Darlow took over in goal from Danny Ward, with Roberts, Sorba Thomas, and David Brooks also returning to the starting lineup after Wales topped their Nations League group.
Kazakhstan, ranked 110th in the FIFA standings and 81 places below Wales, came with a notable record against British teams, having defeated Scotland in 2019 and Northern Ireland twice during Euro 2024 qualifying.
Wales initially struggled, making several uncharacteristic misplaced passes. However, they found their rhythm in the ninth minute when James capitalized on a defensive mistake, scoring his eighth international goal with a deflected shot that outwitted Kazakhstan goalkeeper Alexandr Zarutskiy.
Despite being denied a penalty earlier in the match following a challenge by Nuraly Alip, Wales’ penalty appeal was eventually realized when a close-range cross struck Roberts’ hand. After a VAR review, Tagybergen converted the penalty, marking Kazakhstan’s first goal in seven competitive matches.
Further drama unfolded as Roberts was fouled by Maxim Samorodov, prompting another VAR check, which resulted in a yellow card for the Kazakhstan player.
Shortly after halftime, Thomas won a corner that was expertly delivered to the far post, where Davies headlined the attack with a powerful header, marking his third goal in 93 appearances for Wales.
As pressure intensified, Wales looked to secure their victory, and it wasn’t until the final moments that Matondo sealed the win with a well-placed shot from Thomas’s assist, confirming a triumphant start to their World Cup campaign.
