Wales vs Kazakhstan LIVE: Rabbi Matondo caps off impressive Welsh performance with first international goal
Wales 3-1 Kazakhstan: Craig Bellamy’s side got off to a perfect start to their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup
Wales kicked off their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a testing but morale-boosting victory over Kazakhstan in Cardiff.
Craig Bellamy’s men opened the scoring with less than 10 minutes on the clock as Dan James latched onto a loose ball in the penalty area after a short corner play. He whipped a shot at goal and a deflection took it past the goalkeeper to send the Red Dragons in front.
Despite dominating play and possession they conceded an equaliser as Connor Roberts gave away a penalty for handling the ball in the area. Kazakhstan’s captain Askhat Tagybergen scored the spot kick but Karl Darlow almost kept it out only for the ball to spin back over the line.
The fans in the stadium were tense but Ben Davies eased their concerns with a headed goal less than two minutes into the second half and Rabbi Matondo scored his first international goal in the 90th minute to put the result beyond doubt.
Relive the updates from the Cardiff City Stadium below:
Wales will be without injured Ethan Ampadu
Wales will be without injured Ethan Ampadu for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
Ampadu damaged a knee in training in February and scans revealed the influential 24-year-old has suffered a cartilage injury.
Daniel Farke, Ampadu’s manager at Leeds, said: “Bit complicated situation. A surgery would have meant he was out for the season because if you do a surgery, it would be a few months.
“We have, after more consultations, decided to try the conservative route. There’s a good chance if rehab works properly it will be successful but it still means he’ll be out for four to six weeks.
“We won’t see him back in team training before the international break.
“There’s still a chance he will still need the surgery. Fingers crossed, 50-50 chance to have him back for the run-in.”
Wales v Kazakhstan predicted line-ups
Wales XI: Darlow; Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams; Sheehan, James; Johnson, Brooks, James; Harris.
Kazakhstan XI: Pokatilov; Astanov, Kasym, Alip, Yorogovskiy; Chesnokov, Tapalov, Tagybergen, Samorodov; Zaynutdinov, Aimbetov.
Early Wales team news
Wales are without the midfield trio of Aaron Ramsey, Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson for this camp, though Swansea’s Ollie Cooper is available again.
Craig Bellamy enjoys almost a full cohort of defenders including Joe Rodon, Ben Davies, Nico Williams and others, while in attack, Brennan Johnson and Daniel James are fit too.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on BBC One Wales and S4C, with coverage also available online on BBC iPlayer and S4C Online.
Coverage begins at 7.20pm.
When is Wales vs Kazakhstan?
The match is due to kick off at 7.45pm GMT on Saturday, 22 March at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Wales vs Kazakhstan
Wales start their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup this evening as they face Kazakhstan in Cardiff.
Craig Bellamy’s side managed to turn around the poor form they’d shown under Rob Page last year and eventually finished top of Nations League Group B4, overtaking Turkey on the final matchday and ensuring a place in the ‘A’ league when the next edition comes round.
But while Bellamy has been widely praised for a somewhat remarkable turnaround since the Welsh failed to qualify for Euro 2024, his first real test is to secure qualification for the next World Cup.
The tournament is an expanded edition, meaning Bellamy should have a slightly easier job qualifying, though their group still pits them against Belgium as well as North Macedonia and Liechtenstein.
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s World Cup qualifier between Wales and Kazakhstan.
Craig Bellamy hopes to kick off this qualifying campaign in fine fashion with a victory at the Cardiff City Stadium as Wales seek to secure a place at the 2026 World Cup.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates throughout the night so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 7.45pm.
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