Wales arrive in this fixture reeling from a chastening 3-0 loss to England in a friendly, which exposed persistent defensive vulnerabilities. Their campaign so far has been a roller-coaster: resilient at home (unbeaten in competitive matches at Cardiff since June 2023), but porous early in matches-seven goals conceded before half-time across their last four games. Bellamy's side will be desperate to respond in front of home fans. They know that a draw may keep them in the hunt,
Kieffer Moore gave Wales the lead in the 24th minute when he poked home on the rebound after Liam Cullen's header was kept out by Temirlan Anarbekov. Kazakhstan responded well, though, with Galymzhan Kenzhebek curling narrowly wide in the 39th minute before seeing an effort tipped onto the crossbar by Karl Darlow six minutes into the second half. Kenzhebek went close again eight minutes later, and Maxim Samordov was also thwarted by Darlow as the hosts continued to pile on the pressure.