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All in yellow Kazakhstan, 114th in the Fifa rankings, represented a banana skin on an artificial surface in Astana. Their last World Cup qualifying victory was almost 12 years ago, a narrow success against the Faroe Islands, but this was anything but a straightforward win for Wales.
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By the end the chances were totting up, Craig Bellamy’s side clinging on with the Kazakhstan substitute Serizkhan Muzikov cracking the bar with a 95th-minute free-kick. The visitors were ultimately grateful for Kieffer Moore’s first-half winner, which was sufficient for a victory that keeps alive their hopes of automatic qualification from Group J.
The goal stemmed from a free-kick won and taken by Harry Wilson. Liam Cullen flicked on Wilson’s slick left-footed cross and the Kazakhstan goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov, on debut, could only parry the ball to the edge of the six-yard box, where Moore reacted quickest.
Anarbekov was one of four Kairat Almaty players in the hosts’ starting lineup. Bellamy recently said he had been captivated by Wrexham’s journey to the Championship under their Hollywood owners and Moore, on the occasion of his 50th cap, became the first Wrexham player to represent Wales since Steve Evans in 2008, when they were in non-league.
Wales had to ride waves of Kazakhstan pressure and there was finally relief when the referee, Alejandro Hernández, blew for full-time after Muzikov’s curled effort. Galymzhan Kenzhebek was Kazakhstan’s liveliest player and registered a hat-trick of near-misses, including rattling the bar himself, before being withdrawn midway through the second half. Wales had few chances to double their advantage and instead their 19-year-old debutant Dylan Lawlor of Cardiff City was among those tested in defence. Wales held on to eke out a vital win.
