Wales head coach Craig Bellamy believes his aspect may have been “out of sight” by the point Edin Dzeko headed a late equaliser in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup qualifying win on the Cardiff Metropolis Stadium.
Harry Wilson shot towards the woodwork for the hosts earlier than Dan James put them forward with a spectacular long-range strike after the break, however their opponents improved significantly after falling behind and levelled by way of former Manchester Metropolis striker Dzeko on their method to prevailing on penalties.
“The final 20-odd minutes was the one time we stopped enjoying,” Bellamy informed BBC Sport after lacking out on a primary main match of the tenure he started in September 2024.
“We are able to’t cease enjoying – we simply can’t. It’s comprehensible: we’re main, they’re throwing extra forwards on.”
Daniel James has backed Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams to bounce again from their penalty misses and praised their character in stepping as much as take a spot kick 🙌⚽#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/j93YdQJFCZ
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) March 26, 2026
Tactical evaluation: Bellamy on ‘large drawback’ for Wales
Bellamy mentioned Wales didn’t need “arduous luck”. “We actually push ourselves to be at main tournaments,” he added.
“We anticipate to be there. There was so much tonight that gave a very good alternative of being there, nevertheless it wasn’t to be.
“We weren’t triggering, we weren’t urgent, however after we had the ball, we didn’t have the vitality to press due to the easy undeniable fact that we didn’t maintain the ball lengthy sufficient.
“If you wish to see video games out, you’ve obtained to see it out with the ball. We regained momentum in further time however, contemplating the possibilities we created and the moments we had, possibly we’d have favored to have been out of sight by that point.”
Dzeko, who captained his aspect to a one-legged ultimate at residence to Italy on Tuesday (19:45 BST), had already drawn a spectacular save from Wales goalkeeper Karl Darlow by the point the 6ft 4in, 40-year-old striker scored.
“The larger presence that they had within the field was at all times going to be an enormous drawback, so we wanted to maintain them away from the field,” rued Bellamy.
Right here’s how Wales fared in 2026 World Cup qualifying.
| Date | Opponents | Outcome |
| Mar 22, 2025 | Kazakhstan (H) | 3–1 |
| Mar 25, 2025 | North Macedonia (A) | 1–1 |
| Jun 6, 2025 | Liechtenstein (H) | 3–0 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | Belgium (A) | 3–4 |
| Sep 4, 2025 | Kazakhstan (A) | 1–0 |
| Oct 13, 2025 | Belgium (H) | 2–4 |
| Nov 15, 2025 | Liechtenstein (A) | 1–0 |
| Nov 18, 2025 | North Macedonia (H) | 7–1 |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (H) | 1–1 (2-4 pens) |
‘Unimaginable time’ for Wales, says Bellamy
Brennan Johnson despatched his effort over the crossbar and Neco Williams’s spot kick was saved by Nikola Vasilj to finish Wales’s hopes, however Bellamy is wanting ahead to a set of Nations League fixtures that start with a visit to Portugal on September 24 following promotion to Group A.
“We’ve obtained Group A arising, we’ve obtained a house nations Euro [in 2028],” mentioned Bellamy, pointing optimistically to Wales’s youthful squad.
“What an unbelievable time. We wish to be at a World Cup this summer season… however the future’s very shiny.”
When does the 2026 FIFA World Cup begin?
The World Cup begins with a gathering between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico Metropolis on June 11 (20:00 BST).
