Belgium outshines Wales in World Cup qualifying clash, Italy secures victory as well

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🥅 Norway's star Erling Haaland bagged a goal, managing to push his team past Estonia. Meanwhile, Croatia's Luka Modric scored one in a tantalizing 5-1 victory against the Czech Republic. The Faroe Islands squeaked out a 2-1 win against Gibraltar in the dying minutes of their match.

🇮🇹 Italy's Giacomo Raspadori and Andrea Cambiaso found the net in each half, helping Italy beat Moldova 2-0. The victory injects a bit of confidence back into the Azzurri camp after last week's 3-0 drubbing by Norway which cost Spalletti his job👋. Although they've played two matches less, Italy's golden ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico isn't guaranteed yet.

💰 Top spot in each group guarantees automatic qualification, and it seems Italy's best hope lies in finishing second and advancing to the play-offs. Spalletti, reflecting on the matches, said, "When you're a national team coach, you have no excuses; it's you who selects the squad❓"

🇧🇪 In Brussels, Belgium took a commanding 3-0 lead over Wales thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans, and Jeremy Doku before the half hour mark. However, a determined Wales fought back with a Harry Wilson penalty, Sorba Thomas, and Brennan Johnson to stun Belgium. But, as a hero so often does, Kevin De Bruyne swooped in to save the day, scoring the match-winning goal in the 88th minute.

🇷🇴 Wales currently sits second in Group J, just one point behind North Macedonia, who handily defeated Kazakhstan 1-0. Belgium trails Wales by three points, with two games in hand. This was Wales manager Craig Bellamy's first defeat after ten matches in charge.

💪 After the match, Wales captain Ben Davies told the BBC: "We knew we could do a lot better. You could see in the second half, we managed to nick a goal before half-time, and it gave us something to hang on to. We pushed them close, but now we just have to focus on ourselves and hope for favorable outcomes."

🇳🇱 On Tuesday, the Netherlands will host Malta in Groningen, hoping to make it two wins from two and narrow the gap on Poland, who have a tough challenge against Finland.

Did you know? As of June 2025, Norway and North Macedonia top Group I and Group J, respectively, in European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Belarus, Belgium, Wales, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein also compete in Group J. Meanwhile, Israel, Italy, Estonia, and Moldova are part of Group I.

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Belgium outshines Wales in World Cup qualifying clash, Italy secures victory as well