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Belgium national football team
European Championship | Qualifiers
Nov 16, 2014 at 5pm UK
 
Wales national football team

0-0

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Match Analysis: Belgium 0-0 Wales

Sports Mole picks apart Sunday's Euro 2016 qualifier in Brussels as Wales hang on for a huge point against Belgium.

Wales are still unbeaten in Euro 2016 qualifying after hanging on for what could prove to be a valuable away point against Group B favourites Belgium.

Chris Coleman's side were able to keep a clean sheet in Brussels and keep hold of their place on top of the group.

Below, Sports Mole picks apart this evening's game at the Stade Roi Baudouin.

Match statistics

Belgium
Shots: 15
On target: 5
Possession: 61%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 9

Wales
Shots: 7
On target: 4
Possession: 39%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 10

Was the result fair?

On the balance of play, not really no. Wales defended well, but Belgium should have really won the game. They had enough chances to score at least one goal and will be gutted to have not grabbed three points this evening.

Belgium's performance

It certainly wasn't their best display, but Marc Wilmots will wonder tonight how his side didn't score. Nacer Chadli was denied by a fine Wayne Hennessey save before Nicolas Lombaerts watched a fantastic effort on the turn unluckily come back off the inside of the post. Eden Hazard was fantastic all game long with his dribbling and playmaking ability, while Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois dealt well with anything that Wales were able to throw at him.

Wales's performance

Who would have thought that four games into qualifying Wales would be unbeaten and top of the group? Coleman's side played with heart and truly looked like they believed they would be able to get something out of tonight's game. Gareth Bale was the focal point in attack and was closest to silencing the boisterous home crowd. Centre-backs Ashley Williams and James Chester were rock-solid at the back and kept Divock Origi quiet, with the majority of trouble resulting from Hazard out wide. Hennessey also performed admirably in goal, making multiple saves to keep the score level.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Eden Hazard: He's just so, so good at dribbling the football. Whenever he got the ball and started running, it never felt like the ball would leave his feet.

Biggest gaffe

Hazard might have been man of the match, but he was left with egg on his face when an attempted rabona cross was sliced out of play.

Referee performance

Pavel Kralovec had a pretty good game in the middle. He had very few contentious decisions to deal with, just making the odd wrong call here and there.

What next?

Belgium: It's now a four-month break from international footy for both these sides. Belgium have a double-header when qualifying returns, first hosting Cyprus on March 28, 2015 before going to play Israel three days later.

Wales: The Welsh have just one game in the next round of fixtures on March 28, also travelling to Israel.

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Wales's Gareth Bale hits a free kick during the Group B Euro 2016 qualifying match against Belgium at the King Baudouin stadium in Brussels, on November 16, 2014
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Live Commentary: Belgium 0-0 Wales - as it happened
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

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Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

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Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

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Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

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Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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