Results: Belarus V Wales 2:3(FT)
Man of The Match: Gareth Bale

A Gareth Bale hat-trick, sealed in injury-time,
helped a depleted Wales side to a vital 3-2 FIFA
World Cup 2022 qualifying victory against
Belarus in Kazan on Sunday afternoon.
Wales' preparations for this clash were far from settled due to a number of injury, COVID-19 and visa issues. All in all, Robert Page was without 13 players, but captain Bale was fortunately not among the absentees - the Real Madrid forward gave his country the perfect start by bothwinning and converting a penalty, his first international goal in 13 competitive outings.

However, despite being forced to play in an empty Kazan stadium due to air sanctions imposed against the Minsk government, Belarus fought back admirably. They had a spot-kick of their own when Chris Gunter's high boot caught Nikolay Zolotov, and Vitali Lisakovich made no mistake from 12 yards. The latter then turned provider for
Pavel Sedko, who slotted under Danny Ward to give his side the lead. Things could have been even worse for Wales going into the break, but Aleksandr Sachivko and Vladislav Klimovich failed to hit the target from dangerous positions.
The task facing Wales after the interval was
clear, but they struggled to apply constant
pressure. Other than Brennan Johnson's curling effort, which required a strong hand from Syarhey Chernik, the visitors were unable to craft any dangerous openings in their search for an equaliser. Fortune was on their side, though, as they were awarded another penalty when Ben Davies received a faint push. Once again, Bale was equal to the challenge, sending Chernik the wrong way for the second time.
The Welsh talisman wasn't done there, though. With almost the last kick of the game, the 32-year-old squeezed a shot under the goalkeeper to give his nation a crucial victory. Although they have qualified for two consecutive European Championships, Wales have not appeared at a World Cup since 1958. This three-point haul, albeit against one of their qualifying group's minnows, gives them a huge chance of
doing just that. Belarus, meanwhile, will be
gutted they were unable to get anything from the fixture despite an impressive performance in difficult circumstances.

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