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.
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
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.
