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Belgium 4 Wales 3: De Bruyne breaks Welsh hearts after thrilling three-goal comeback and controversial VAR farce

Belgium 4 Wales 3: De Bruyne breaks Welsh hearts after thrilling three-goal comeback and controversial VAR farce

The Irish Sun2 days ago

KEVIN DE BRUYNE broke Wales hearts on a night of World Cup qualifying chaos in Belgium.
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Kevin De Bruyne grabbed Belgium's winner against Wales
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But where do you start to sum up this seven-goal thriller - which included an epic three-goal comeback by Wales - which was dominated by several poor refereeing decisions and lengthy VAR checks?
There were two first-half penalties awarded by referee Irfan Peljto - one for each side and both looked harsh.
Then Romelu Lukaku had an 80th-minute goal ruled out following a five-minute VAR check - during which both managers were booked - because the ball went out of play in the build-up.
On a night of mayhem in Brussels, the Dragons fell 3-0 down inside 27 minutes through goals by Lukaku from the penalty spot, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku as the hosts ran riot in the first half.
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Spirited
Yet De Bruyne had the final say with a classy finish when the star midfielder was left unmarked at the back post.
It left the visitors floored as
Wales now trail North Macedonia by a point in Group J in their quest to reach the finals in USA, Mexico and Canada next summer with the Belgians only three points behind with two games in hand.
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To compound Bellamy's frustrations, the 45-year-old, who spent two years at Anderlecht, is due to return to Belgium for a friend's wedding later this week.
Pre-match, Bellamy had hailed his first 12 months in the Wales job as the "best year" of his life.
World Cup winner and one-club legend rolls back the years with stunning goal from halfway line
But, after Spurs legend Jan Vertonghen received a heartfelt farewell from the Belgian public, Bellamy's Dragons were left furious by the award of Lukaku's 15th-minute penalty.
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De Bruyne's shot hit the arm of Brennan Johnson from a short distance but Bosnian ref Peljto pointed to the spot.
A lengthy VAR check did not overturn what looked to be a harsh decision and Napoli striker Lukaku slotted home his 89th international goal.
Wales were rocked and failed to recover as
Tielemans doubled the hosts' lead on 19 minutes when the Aston Villa midfielder, captain for the night, hit the top corner with a side-footed finish.
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It was a slick team move from Rudi Garcia's men with De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard and Maxim de Cuyper involved before Tielemans was left unmarked to beat Karl Darlow.
Wales almost halved the deficit instantly but David Brooks missed a glorious chance before Ben Davies forced Nottingham Forest keeper Matz Sels into a scrambling save.
De Bruyne rolled an effort past the post but Manchester City wideman Doku made no mistake when he cut in on his left foot and fired past Darlow despite the Leeds stopper getting a hand to his shot.
Wales, who had never won on Belgian soil, were handed a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when Sels was deemed to foul Chris Mepham when he clattered into the defender trying to punch a high ball away.
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It appeared another harsh call by ref Peljto and Wilson scored from the spot by sending Sels the wrong way for his 14th Dragons goal.
Trossard and Lukaku wasted chances to put the game to bed and Wales netted a second on 51 minutes when Wilson set up Thomas to slot home.
Wales were in dreamland when Johnson headed home from Thomas' centre before De Bruyne scored his 31st Belgium goal in his final act before he was substituted to crush Bellamy and Co.
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Youri Tielemans helped Belgium march into a commanding lead
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Wales got a penalty on the stroke of half-time
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Harry Wilson converted his spot kick to give Wales a lifeline
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Sorba Thomas rolled in Wales' second to cut the deficit to one
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Brennan Johnson headed in a dramatic equaliser
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Romelu Lukaku thought he had restored Belgium's advantage
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Wales immediatel appealed to the ref as VAR took five minutes to rule it out
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Wales did their trademark silly team photo before kick-off
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Lukaku scored from the penalty spot to get things going
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Craig Bellamy and the Welsh team were left heartbroken
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3 winners and 3 losers from Ireland's latest international window
3 winners and 3 losers from Ireland's latest international window

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3 winners and 3 losers from Ireland's latest international window

The winners Ryan Manning Having been largely on the periphery of the team in the Stephen Kenny era, Manning has become an important squad member under Heimir Hallgrímsson. The 28-year-old has 17 caps, six have come in the Icelandic coach's 10 matches in charge, while only five of his appearances under Kenny were in competitive games. What helps the Galway native is his versatility. At club level in recent years, he has generally been deployed as left-back/left-wing-back. In his earlier days at Galway United, however, Manning often played in the attacking midfielder/number 10 role. Against Senegal, Manning played a hybrid of these two positions. He drifted centrally and became an attacking midfielder when Ireland had possession, whereas without the ball, he tucked in on the left wing as Ireland reverted from a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-4-2. The Southampton star impressed, setting up Kasey McAteer's goal with his cross before being replaced by Killian Phillips in the 67th minute. He didn't start the Luxembourg encounter, but ended up enjoying more game time than he did against Senegal. The former QPR player was needed at left-back as early as the 21st minute, replacing the injured Robbie Brady. He proceeded to produce a solid performance, proving he can be relied upon to cover more than one position. Kasey McAteer McAteer went into this camp with just four substitute appearances to his name for Ireland. The Leicester star impressed on his full debut against Senegal, scoring Ireland's goal with a well-taken finish and producing a player-of-the-match performance. The 23-year-old winger was rewarded with a second consecutive start against Luxembourg, and struggled to have the same impact as part of a lacklustre Irish attack before being replaced by Matt Doherty in the 76th minute. You suspect alternative options in attack, like Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene, are still probably ahead of McAteer in the pecking order, but as Hallgrímsson said of the latter, he has 'created a bit of a stir' after Friday's performance. Having looked very much like a peripheral squad member before this window, it is now not inconceivable that he could play a major role in the upcoming vital World Cup qualifiers, particularly if Ogbene has not fully recovered by then. The 28-year-old Ipswich winger has not played since rupturing his achilles tendon last October, but is reportedly targeting a comeback in time for Ireland's September fixtures. Max O'Leary Over six years on from his first call-up, O'Leary finally made his Ireland debut on Tuesday away to Luxembourg. Advertisement And he was one of the few players for the visitors to emerge from the dour 0-0 draw with his reputation enhanced. The 28-year-old made a couple of decent saves and did very little wrong over the 90 minutes. Naturally, Caoimhín Kelleher will remain Ireland's first-choice goalkeeper following his €21 million move to Brentford. But O'Leary, who played every minute of action for Bristol City in the Championship this season, is a fine alternative. The Bath-born stopper, who qualifies through a Kerry-born grandfather, proved he has the ability and temperament to step up if required. The losers Evan Ferguson Appropriately enough, a largely forgettable season for Evan Ferguson ended in disappointingly tame fashion. The Brighton striker struggled to have much impact, even when starting against a side 31 places below Ireland in the Fifa rankings. He did not fare much better against Senegal, although by the time the Meath native was introduced in the 58th minute of that game, the momentum had swung firmly in the visitors' favour, so it was a difficult situation to be thrust into. It's worth remembering that Ferguson is still only 20. The youngster showed what he is capable of in the last window, finishing clinically from a Finn Azaz pass to draw Ireland level in the home game with Bulgaria. Players his age invariably have spells of inconsistency, and his form was also significantly hampered by a serious injury he suffered. An ankle injury last year led to ligament surgery, ruling him out for six months. It meant he missed the early weeks of the 2024-25 season and was playing catch-up all year in terms of fitness. Having cut an isolated figure in Luxembourg, Ferguson can now at least put a disappointing campaign behind him and get some much-needed rest ahead of what is likely to be a big season for him. Sky Sports News have reported that Brighton recently put in a £34 million bid for Olympiacos centre-forward Charalampos Kostoulas. If that deal goes through, it will increase the uncertainty around the youngster's Seagulls future. But despite his stop-start season and failed West Ham loan, Ferguson is unlikely to be short of suitors if he is made available by Brighton, with David Moyes' Everton one of the clubs linked with his signature. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's contract expires this summer, so the Toffees could look to the Ireland star as a natural replacement for the England international. Josh Honohan Max O'Leary, Killian Phillips and John Patrick all made their Ireland debuts in this window, but Josh Honohan has been made to wait. The 24-year-old's name in the initial squad announcement drew the most publicity of anyone, due to it still being relatively rare for League of Ireland-based footballers to earn international recognition with the Boys in Green. Some of the shine was taken off a special week for the Carrigaline native owing to manager Stephen Bradley's comments in the build-up. The Hoops boss said Honohan was 'the worst I've seen him' in Rovers' recent 0-0 draw with Galway. Such stinging criticism delivered by a manager to one of his players is rare in football. Honohan diplomatically played down the controversy, admitting he didn't have his 'best game' during the match in question. Perhaps this lack of form was part of the reason why Hallgrímsson opted not to blood the 24-year-old in either of the two end-of-season friendlies. Even with Robbie Brady getting injured early against Luxembourg, the Ireland boss preferred to introduce Manning in the left-back position. Before his criticism, Bradley had repeatedly called on Honohan to get Ireland recognition. Brady, at 33, won't be around forever, and while the fact that the Shamrock Rovers star was called up in the first place is an impressive feat when you consider the full context, perhaps the manager feels he needs more experience around the squad and further time to adapt to the demands of international football. 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Yet the 26-year-old's stock appears to have fallen since a costly red card in the 5-0 defeat to England last November, with that Senegal cameo his only taste of international football in the subsequent period. But more than anything, Scales' absence is a reflection of Ireland's impressive depth at centre-back. Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Jake O'Brien all had strong seasons in the Premier League and while the trio don't have Champions League experience, domestically they are playing at a higher level.

Heimir Hallgrimsson wants quick start to fuel World Cup dream
Heimir Hallgrimsson wants quick start to fuel World Cup dream

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  • RTÉ News​

Heimir Hallgrimsson wants quick start to fuel World Cup dream

Heimir Hallgrimsson is targeting at least four points from the Republic of Ireland's opening World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia. The Icelander spent his 58th birthday watching his team secure a laboured 0-0 friendly draw in Luxembourg, which he later admitted was "boring" at times, in what was their final fixture before the competitive games start in September. A much-changed Ireland were far from at their best at the Stade de Luxembourg just four days after a creditable display in a 1-1 draw with Senegal, but Hallgrimsson knows the stakes will be raised significantly when the squad next meet up. Asked if they needed four points from the first two games, Hallgrimsson replied: "Yes. Four points would be good; six points would be better." He added: "I give myself that you would say we get a draw against Hungary and win in Armenia - probably it would be worse if it was the opposite. "Four points would be OK, a good start. Six is what we aim for." "It's the only sport in the world where a third division team can win against a first division team." Hallgrimsson will mark 12 months in his new job next month having presided over a modest improvement in Ireland's on-pitch fortunes - they have won four and drawn two of his 10 games to date, a return which had given him cause for optimism. Tuesday night's events came as something of a disappointment, as he admitted when asked where his team are compared to where he hoped they might be at this stage shortly after the final whistle in Luxembourg. He replied: "I would have been 100% confident two hours ago, but this is also football. "You can be a much better team and still lose a match. That's why everybody loves this game. It's because sometimes even with a good performance you can lose a game. That's why everybody loves it. "It's the only sport in the world where a third division team can win against a first division team. You can look at all other sports, it doesn't happen. "We didn't play well, we kept a clean sheet. If it had been a group stage, we would have had a point and OK, let's call that growth." Ireland did hit the woodwork twice through Nathan Collins and substitute Jack Taylor either side of half-time, but were indebted to debutant goalkeeper Max O'Leary for saves from Danel Sinani and Vincent Thill, and Hallgrimsson was particularly unimpressed with the opening 45 minutes. He said: "We were really disappointed with the first half. It was actually just boring, there was nothing happening in the first half. "We didn't play well, but we played away and didn't concede a goal, so even though we are not playing our best, if we can get points and maybe wins, that's a good sign."

Heimir Hallgrimsson: 'I'm not going to hang or execute anyone for that performance'
Heimir Hallgrimsson: 'I'm not going to hang or execute anyone for that performance'

Irish Examiner

time6 hours ago

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Heimir Hallgrimsson: 'I'm not going to hang or execute anyone for that performance'

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