Ward, Tielemans & Castagne All Secure Victory In Qualifiers
- Danny Ward earned his 19th cap in Sunday’s 3-2 FIFA World Cup qualifying success over Belarus
- The Leicester City goalkeeper played the full 90 minutes in Kazan and could feature on Wednesday
- Timothy Castagne and Youri Tielemans played for Belgium in their Group E win over Czech Republic
- The Red Devils remain unbeaten and top of the group after five matches, with Wales in third
Leicester City’s shot-stopper played 90 minutes of an eventful Group E contest, which saw Rob Page’s side get off to the perfect start as they look to reach Qatar 2022.
Gareth Bale won and then converted a sixth-minute penalty to hand Wales an early lead in Kazan, before two goals in quick succession saw the Dragons go in trailing at the break.
The first saw a spot-kick tucked away by Vitali Lisakovich on the half-hour mark, despite Ward’s best efforts on his 19th international appearance. And two minutes later, Lisakovich set up team-mate Pavel Sedko for Belarus’ second goal, slipping the ball under the Foxes ‘keeper.
Incredibly, a third penalty was awarded in the second half, this time to Wales, with just over 20 minutes remaining. Once again, their captain was on hand to fire them back level.
Bale completed his hat-trick deep into stoppage time, snatching a last-gasp victory for the visitors ahead of hosting Estonia at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday 8 September (7:45pm kick-off).
Wales sit third in their pool heading into that fixture, on six points, with two wins from their opening three fixtures.
Elsewhere in Group E, Belgium pair Timothy Castagne and Youri Tielemans were both included in Roberto Martínez's starting XI for their clash with Czech Republic. Dennis Praet, meanwhile, currently on loan at Serie A outfit Torino, was an unused substitute.
The Red Devils quickly asserted their dominance on proceedings, scoring eight minutes in through Romelu Lukaku’s finish. Eden Hazard doubled the advantage before half-time and Alexis Saelemaekers added a third goal in the second half to seal a comprehensive victory for the group leaders.
Castagne was involved throughout the contest at Stade Roi Baudouin, while Tielemans featured for 81 minutes before being replaced by Leandro Dendoncker.
Belgium, who remain unbeaten in their qualifiers, with four wins from five, travel to meet Belarus next on Wednesday 8 September (7:45pm kick-off).
All times BST.