Just when Wales thought they had done enough to earn an unthinkable comeback draw, having trailed 3-0 in the first half, Kevin De Bruyne wheeled away in celebration, arms splayed, after regaining Belgium the lead. Now it was 4-3, Wales’s extraordinary work undone but not forgotten, Craig Bellamy’s unbeaten run finally over.
In the city of the Delirium Village, a cul-de-sac near the Grand Place home to endless varieties of beer, for the 4,500 Wales supporters who made the pilgrimage deliriousness turned to disappointment. A few minutes earlier, a marathon VAR check after Romelu Lukaku thought he had scored went in Wales’s favour, the officials establishing the ball went out of play in the buildup. Belgium went to pieces against arguably their bogey team but an unmarked De Bruyne found a winner to cap a ludicrous game.
This Thursday marks 10 years to the day since one of Wales’s greatest victories, Gareth Bale scoring the only goal against Belgium, then second in the Fifa rankings, in Cardiff. That was a significant step en route to qualifying for Euro 2016, Wales reaching their first major tournament for 58 years. On the night Jazz Richards, a fringe full-back at Swansea who finished his career at Haverfordwest County, was promoted to the starting lineup to help stifle Eden Hazard. Belgium, who were held to a draw in North Macedonia on Friday in their opening World Cup qualifier under Rudi Garcia, had not lost any of their 42 European or World Cup qualifiers since.
