Wales ease past Kazakhstan to kick off World Cup Qualifying campaign

Wales kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a victory over Group J rivals Kazakhstan.

Scorers: James 9', Davies 47', Matondo 90+1' ; Tagybergen 32' (P)

It was a rapid start from the home side in front of a boisterous Cardiff crowd, as Dan James kicked off the night with a close-range goal inside 10 minutes.

The perfect start 🤌

pic.twitter.com/YLJlxQPio8
— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) March 22, 2025

The visitors responded in kind however, stunning the home faithful before the break by drawing a penalty for a handball in the area, and the spot-kick was coolly dispatched by Askhat Tagybergen.

It was dominance in possession for the Welsh, and they capitalised after the break when skipper Ben Davies headed home at the back-post from a corner kick.

A late Rabbi Matondo strike killed the match for the home side as Wales started their campaign in style to pull level at the top of Group J with North Macedonia.

📸 ADRIAN DENNIS - AFP or licensors

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