WALES’ hopes of qualifying automatically for the World Cup were effectively ended as they lost 4-2 at home to Belgium in an absorbing contest that left the play-offs as their only realistic remaining route to next summer’s finals.

Craig Bellamy’s side started brilliantly and took a seventh-minute lead as Joe Rodon headed in from a corner, only for Kevin De Bruyne’s controversial penalty to puncture the joyous atmosphere after Ethan Ampadu was harshly penalised for handball following a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

Belgium ruthlessly seized control from that point, cutting Wales to shreds on the break as Jeremy Doku – electrifying all game as he has been for Manchester City this season – sped clear and pulled the ball back for Thomas Meunier to hammer the visitors ahead.

De Bruyne, Doku, Leandro Trossard and others missed chances to add a third goal for the visitors, who eventually put the result beyond doubt when De Bruyne scored his second spot-kick after a much less contentious, clear-cut handball from Jordan James.

Substitute Nathan Broadhead fired in powerfully to raise the faint prospect of a Welsh comeback, which was swiftly extinguished when Trossard restored Belgium’s two-goal advantage moments lat

Belgium overtake North Macedonia at the top of Group J, and they are now four points ahead of third-place Wales with games against Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein to come.

In order for Wales to finish top and qualify automatically, the Belgians would need to lose both those matches – unlikely in the extreme – and Bellamy’s men would have to win both their remaining games for a turnaround of miraculous proportions.

Wales may well keep their side of the bargain but it is unthinkable that Belgium would surrender their lead – to Wales at least – from this position of strength.

Therefore, Wales are all but certain to be in the play-offs in March. They will have home advantage for the play-off semi-final if they finish second in their group and, failing that, they will still have a play-off place – albeit away for the semi-final – if they finish third, thanks to their Nations League success.

Their final group position will likely come down to their final game against North Macedonia in November.

As comforting as it might be to know that they qualified for the 2022 World Cup via the play-offs, Wales will need to pick themselves up from the floor after seeing their dreams of qualifying automatically ended by another high-scoring and high-octane defeat against Belgium. (BBC Sport)