Match report as Wales lose 2-1 in Brussels and stay winless in the Nations League, needing victory vs Poland to avoid relegation; Kevin De Bruyne scored and set up a goal in an impressive first-half showing; Wales were handed a lifeline by Kieffer Moore's second-half goal but fell short
Kevin De Bruyne's first-half masterclass was enough for Belgium to beat Wales 2-1 in the Nations League and leave Rob Page's side needing a win over Poland on Sunday to avoid relegation from Group A4.
Wales failed to recover after De Bruyne gave Belgium the lead (10) with an exquisite left-footed finish on the edge of the box and had no answer to the Man City playmaker as he continued to wreak havoc before the break, setting up former Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi (37) with a low cross to make it 2-0.
Kieffer Moore's early second-half goal (50) gave Wales hope of staging a comeback but not even the introduction of captain Gareth Bale off the bench could clinch an equaliser for a depleted Wales side that produced a spirited second-half display in their penultimate game before the World Cup.
Wales are teetering on the edge of relegation from the top tier of the competition ahead of Sunday's final Group A4 match against Poland in Cardiff on Sunday. Belgium, meanwhile, remain three points behind the table-topping Netherlands, who they must beat by a margin of two on Sunday to head to the Nations League finals.
Belgium had a slow opening 10 minutes until a moment of quality from De Bruyne broke the deadlock. His left-footed, first-time finish on the edge of the area - after being teed up by Batshuayi's perfectly-weighted pass - too precise for Wayne Hennessey to keep out despite getting a fingertip to it.
Wales crumbled after conceding the first goal while Belgium never looked back and De Bruyne nearly doubled his tally as he struck the base of the post with another long-range effort just shy of the half-hour mark as Roberto Martinez's side toyed with the visitors in Brussels.
When Belgium eventually did make it 2-0, De Bruyne was again involved as he returned the favour by setting up Batshuayi with an inch-perfect cross that the former Chelsea striker - filling in for the injured Romelu Lukaku - slotted home from close-range just before the break.
Wales showed resilience to bounce back in the second half as Moore met Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson's back-post cross with a towering header, completely overpowering Belgium's 18-year-old centre-back Zeno Debast on his international debut.
Bale, the Wales captain, made an impact off the bench as Page's side continued to push for an equaliser. They suffered a scare when the referee blew for a penalty after Joe Morrell's fair challenge on De Bruyne, but were saved by the intervention of the VAR.
There was a late chance for Forest forward Johnson when Connor Roberts headed the ball down to him in the box, but the 21-year-old was unable to steer his effort towards goal. Belgium head coach Martinez was sent off in the closing stages as he held on to the ball for too long in an attempt to waste time.