Duncan keeps ten-man Wales in contention in narrow Belgium defeat
Joe Duncan kept Wales Under-21s in contention on his debut, but Matty Jones’s side lost 1–0 in Belgium after Dan Cox was sent off before half-time on Tuesday 29 September.
Match facts
- Full time
- Belgium 1–0 Wales
- Dan Cox sent off
- 40 minutes
- Previous meeting
- Belgium won 7–0
- Next qualifier
- Austria, 6 October
Norman Bassette scored the only goal in Westerlo from Romeo Vermant’s cross inside the opening eight minutes. Calum Agius then had a chance to equalise, forcing a close-range save from Lucca Brughmans in the 27th minute.
Cox dismissal changes the task
Cox received two yellow cards in quick succession and was dismissed in the 40th minute. Wales therefore had to play the entire second half with ten men, protecting a one-goal deficit while looking for an equaliser.
The FAW’s report describes repeated second-half saves from Duncan to deny Bassette. A stoppage around the hour allowed Jones to speak to his players, and substitutions helped break Belgium’s spell of pressure.
Late pressure brings no equaliser
Wales forced a succession of late corners, with Duncan coming forward, but Belgium held on. The narrow defeat followed a 7–0 loss to the same opponents in Newport in October 2025. That is a much closer scoreline, although Wales again finished without a goal and with a player dismissed.
Wales complete the qualifying campaign against Austria at The Oval in Caernarfon on Tuesday 6 October, with kick-off at 5.30pm. The FAW’s account identifies Duncan and Ronan Kpakio as U21 debutants in Belgium.