Ben Davies was slightly bemused when the question was put to him.

As his Wales team walked into the dressing room at halftime, drawing with Kazakhstan, ranked 110^th in the world, many would have assumed that Craig Bellamy, infamous for having a short fuse as a player, would be giving his players both barrels.

“The players were the ones that were the most frustrated at halftime, whereas Bellamy came in Mr Calm,” Davies said after the match.

“He came in with a plan, was clear in the messaging he gave us and what he expected in the second half. He simply asked for more energy and keep doing what we’re doing.”

Comfortable Win After A Nervy Start

The approach clearly worked. After Dan James’ deflected strike gave his side the lead after just nine minutes, many in the Cardiff City Stadium seemed to relax in the knowledge that Wales would run out comfortable winners.

Kazakhstan, however, were dogged and well disciplined, giving the host very little, while maintaining a dangerous counter attacking presence.

After a couple of brief scares, the visitors were awarded a generous penalty when a shot from point blank range hit Connor Roberts’ arm. Kazakh captain Askhat Tagybergen’s spot-kick just about dribbled over the line having almost been kept out by Karl Darlow’s legs.

Wales needed a lift at halftime at their captain gave it to them.

Within a minute of the restart, Sorba Thomas’s wicked corner delivery found Davies’ head, and he nodded home to restore Wales’s lead.

Even without Aaron Ramsey and Harry Wilson, both missing this round of matches through injury, Wales could rely on excellent set pieces from Thomas’ corners to David Brooks’ freekicks.

Tactical Tweaks

From there, Wales pushed on. Bellamy spoke in the aftermath about changing their structure to counter the visitor’s 5-4-1 formations.

During the Nations League campaign last autumn, Wales tended to build-up in either a 3-2 or 2-3 shape at the back, with one of, or both, the full backs tucking inside to join Ethan Ampadu in the second line.

On Saturday, Wales set up in a slightly more attacking 3-1-6 formation, with Bellamy trusting Bolton’s Josh Sheehan to be the ‘single pivot’ in front of a back three of Neco Williams, Ben Davies, and Joe Rodon.

The six across the front line were therefore able to outnumber the five Kazakh defenders, who rarely left their defensive unit.

Thomas and James Impress on the wings

The major positive outcome of this for Wales was that it gave their wide players – in this case Thomas and James – a number of opportunities to attack their opposition fullback in one-v-one situations.

James was outstanding on his return to international football, adding to his goal with a number of successful dribbles and crosses into the area.

The shape changed slightly when Jordan James came on at the hour mark for David Brooks, with the Rennes midfielder offering support to Sheehan and bringing his own brand of intensity and quality on the ball.

James’ introduction, along with Mark Harris for the slightly subdued Brennan Johnson, gave Wales a boost in energy and Harris went close to nicking the ball off goalkeeper Anton Zarutskiy a couple of times.

Midfield Stars Missed

Wales, though, did struggle a little to create chance through the middle third of the pitch. Missing the aforementioned Ramsey and Wilson, as well as Ethan Ampadu, exacerbated this.

Sheehan put in a promising performance as the deepest midfielder, but Liam Cullen and Brooks were relatively anonymous ahead of him.

Just as the home crowd started to get a little nervous, and the clock ticked past 90 minutes, Wales produced their best move of the match.

Jordan James’ wonderful switch pass found Thomas out on the right and, as he had done on a number of occasions, the Nantes winger beat his man and put a low cross into the box.

Despite the lateness of the match, all three of Harris, Cullen, and substitute Rabbi Matondo had all made their way into the box, with the latter stroking home for the third.

Matondo ‘buzzing’ after first goal

It was Matondo’s first goal for Wales in his 13^th cap, and his popularity amongst the squad was evident in the delight of his teammates during the celebrations and aftermath of the match.

“I am buzzing,” Matondo said. “I came through the Cardiff academy ranks before moving away so it was always a dream of mine to score at the Cardiff City Stadium.

“To score at the Canton End especially was a lovely feeling.”

With the attacking riches on offer for Bellamy, Matondo has had to bide his time in the first few months of the former Burnley coach’s tenure.

“I’ve had to be patient. It hasn’t been easy at times but it’s about how the team do,” he explained.

“I’ve always been a big Wales fan from the get-go. From growing up to where I am today.

“I’m grateful for getting picked and being in the squad, so it was nice to get on the pitch and score my first goal for my country. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of when I was younger.”

Chaos in Skopje

Wales’s second match of the international break saw them travel to Skopje for the tougher test of North Macedonia. With the Balkan nation on a five game winning run, this would be a step up in quality for Bellamy’s side.

In the first half in particular, Wales dominated the ball and the chances. The best of which was narrowly missed by Thomas, who was picked out by Jordan James after a wonderful 32-pass sequence.

The opener did not arrive, however, with the Macedonian defence standing firm. After the break, it seemed increasingly clear that Brennan Johnson, Tottenham’s back post merchant, is not suited to playing through the middle as a striker. Replaced by Kieffer Moore, Wales went slightly more direct.

With the clock ticking past 90 minutes and both sides seemingly to settle for a forgettable 0-0 draw, disaster struck. Joe Allen, the most experienced player on the pitch, passed the ball backwards blindly, with the loose pass pounced upon and dispatched by Bojan Miovski.

With nothing to lose now, Wales poured forward in search of an equaliser. Finally, a minute over the five added on, Neco Williams launched a pinpoint ball onto the head of Kieffer Moore. The towering forward won the knock-down and, with the help of some calamitous defending, David Brooks turned home.

A June trip to Belgium

Wales’s next match in group J is a relatively straightforward match against Liechtenstein before a trip to the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels for Bellamy’s toughest match so far.

If Wales can pick up another four points – or even six! – they will have put themselves in a great position to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

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