Bellamy Thrilled To Navigate Frantic Kazakhstan Build-up

International friendly: Wales v Canada

Venue: Swansea.com Stadium Date: Tuesday, 9 September Kick off: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Live connected iPlayer, BBC One, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and Sounds, nan BBC Sport website and app, positive unrecorded matter commentary.

The building Craig Bellamy kept repeating successful nan build-up to Wales' exhausting, logistically challenging World Cup qualifier successful Kazakhstan was "no excuses".

This 7,000-mile information travel was nan furthest nan men's squad had ever travelled for a qualifying lucifer and, aft conscionable 1 training convention earlier departing, erstwhile their injury-hit squad sewage to Astana they were met pinch an artificial pitch.

In nan aftermath of his side's hard-earned 1-0 triumph astatine Astana Arena, Bellamy relented.

"Preparation for this was crazy. I'm not going show you earlier it," he said pinch a knowing grin.

"Some players move up connected Sunday, transportation deadline time connected Monday and a fewer of our boys were involved. Then we travelled Tuesday, trained Wednesday – 1 session. Four hours' clip difference, artificial pitch. It's truthful new.

"Some players are playing, immoderate players are not. It adds to nan excitement, but I was a small spot much successful nan chartless than I would usually for illustration to be."

Bellamy would alternatively beryllium successful control, conscionable arsenic he would for illustration his squad to power matches.

That is precisely what Wales did successful nan first half but, successful nan second, they allowed their opponents - classed 114th successful nan world - backmost into nan crippled and came perilously adjacent to becoming nan victims of a momentous consequence for Kazakhstan.

This was not a vintage capacity and Bellamy did not effort to hide that fact. When it comes to qualifying campaigns, though, coaches are consenting to forego sparkling shot successful nan sanction of victory.

"To travel distant pinch a win, I'm really picky pinch performances but I don't care," Bellamy added.

"I tin recreation back, effort to get backmost into nan clip area and hole for nan adjacent game.

"Certain parts of nan capacity I'd emotion to beryllium better. I'm very greedy pinch that, but I benignant of unrecorded successful a existent world arsenic well."

By existent world, Bellamy meant nan aforementioned obstacles he and his players had to flooded successful bid to triumph successful Astana.

Some of those setbacks presented opportunities, nary much truthful than nan injuries that allowed 19-year-old centre-back Dylan Lawlor to make his debut from nan start.

It was a chance nan Cardiff City subordinate seized pinch a flourish. Lawlor was composed successful possession, beardown successful nan aerial and sound pinch his positioning.

His "brilliant" performance, arsenic Bellamy described it, was a sparkling ray successful an different patchy squad performance, and his emergence adds to nan coach's protect options for nan remainder of this campaign.

Wales now beryllium retired nan adjacent 2 Group J matchdays arsenic they play friendlies against Canada and England, earlier facing Belgium astatine Cardiff City Stadium connected 13 October.

If Wales are to person a realistic chance of staying top, they request to triumph each 3 of their remaining matches and dream Belgium driblet points much than once, not conscionable successful Cardiff.

After their chaotic 4-3 conclusion successful Brussels successful June, Bellamy said "there's a batch of life successful this group" and it is simply a belief he still holds.

Or astatine least, that is what he is saying. The erstwhile Liverpool and Manchester City guardant showed pinch his comments earlier and aft nan Kazakhstan crippled that we possibly should not return each 1 of his nationalist utterances astatine look value.

"You conscionable don't know," he said connected Thursday, citing arsenic grounds nan improbable move of events connected nan last matchday of past year's Nations League that saw Wales triumph their group.

There is an constituent of nan chartless astir this group, though Belgium are still wide expected to decorativeness top.

Should that hap and Wales decorativeness second, they will participate nan play-offs successful March, nan aforesaid way they took to qualifying for nan 2022 World Cup - their first quality astatine nan finals shape for 64 years.

And moreover successful a worst-case script wherever they neglect to decorativeness among nan apical two, Wales are each but guaranteed a play-off spot acknowledgment to their Nations League performance.

So location are a fewer roads that lead to nan 2026 World Cup.

Bellamy conscionable hopes it won't beryllium arsenic agelong and arduous arsenic nan 1 that took him and his squad to Kazakhstan.