Wales secure play-off spot after hard-fought draw with Belgium

Wales secured second place in Group E after getting a precious point in their 1-1 draw against Belgium at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Wales and Czech Republic were already assured of a play-off spot via the UEFA Nations League so the last game of the group E was about finishing second and hopefully being seeded in that draw, meaning a home tie in the semi-final.

The visitors started off in great style, when Kevin De Bruyne gave them the lead in the 12th minute, with a tidy shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Even though the Belgian side completely dominated the first-half, the Welsh pushed for an equaliser, which they got when Daniel James' cross found Kieffer Moore, who rifled home to level and send a packed Cardiff City Stadium wild.

Roberto Martínez's side were close to taking the lead again when Thorgan Hazard's sweet first-time volley hit the woodwork.

In the second-half, the game slowed down, but Wales looked more likely to win the game and they had a late attempt by Neco Williams well-saved by Koen Casteels.

The point was enough for Wales to finish above the Czech Republic and take their place among the six seeded teams in the play-offs.

The play-offs will be a 12-team mini-tournament from which the final three European places will be allocated for the World Cup. 

The 12 teams will be seeded and split into three pots of four, each of which will stage their own (one-legged) semi-finals and finals on March 24 and 29 respectively. The winners of the three finals will advance to Qatar.

Wales will discover their semi-final opponents when the draw is made on Friday, 26 November.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Hold on tight, FIFA World Cup Play-Offs are going to be one heck of a ride!!! #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/hh4qqtwwar

— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) November 16, 2021