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Matches against Belgium have provided defining moments for Wales and their golden era of the past decade.

Most notably, there was the Euro 2016 quarter-final triumph – the greatest night in Welsh football history – and the qualifying win in Cardiff a year earlier.

Monday’s reunion had the ingredients of another classic but, unfortunately for Wales, their 2015 meeting remains the last time Belgium were defeated in a World Cup or European Championship qualifier.

That remarkable 46-game unbeaten run was under threat as Wales exploded out of the blocks, though Belgium soon had things back under control and looked a class apart as they sat back and chose their moments to pick off their desperate opponents.

Now, after this 4-2 defeat, Wales’ hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup are effectively over. The play-offs will have to suffice, as they did in 2022.

Head coach Craig Bellamy was unbeaten after his first eight games in charge but, having lost four of his past five matches, he is starting to face a little more scrutiny.

And while Wales are still capable of accomplishing Bellamy’s stated aim of getting to next summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the route they must take there is looking more convoluted than they would have hoped.

“The draw wasn’t going to get us first place. We knew that. We’re aware of our play-off positioning as well.

“But to me I honestly love playing these top teams. It’s so good. Your heart is in your mouth at times, you’re really living on the edge.

Wales’ players were crestfallen at the final whistle, glazed looks in their eyes as it dawned on them that a huge opportunity had slipped through their grasp.

Belgium’s goalless draw with North Macedonia on Friday had opened the door for Wales, who needed to win their remaining three games to finish top of Group J and qualify automatically for the World Cup.

But they fell at the first hurdle, outgunned by Belgium in another chaotic shootout after losing 4-3 in Brussels in June.

Again, Wales’ bold approach – to press and to pour forward at every opportunity – left them exposed defensively, and once again they were ruthlessly punished by Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and the rest.

On reflection, did Bellamy feel his side were just a little too open?

“We felt the best way of being able to combat this team was to have the ball,” he answered. “And we created a lot of chances, but we felt that was the way of being able to beat this team because we needed to win.

“It was as simple as that, and you could see even towards the end, we opened up more. We lost a bit of control in the game. But I always believe the way you can stop the opposition from scoring is by having the ball.

“But that transition moment, with Jeremy, it’s so fearful every time you have the ball that if it turns over, this kid, he’s just that.

“I’ve experienced it. I had him on my team [at Anderlecht], and I knew how dangerous he was, but going against him… We knew there were going to be difficult moments in that game.”

This has been a bruising window for Bellamy, whose decision to take on England in a friendly at Wembley last Thursday was met with a mixture of scepticism, bemusement and outright criticism.

The outcome, a chastening 3-0 defeat, intensified the fans’ discontent, though they were willing to keep an open mind if it helped Wales beat Belgium.

Supporters will be less forgiving now Wales have lost – making it 12 goals conceded in five games – and seen their hopes of qualifying automatically go up in smoke.

But nothing will deter Bellamy, unshakeable in his beliefs.

“I’ve seen a lot today that makes me feel we can get close to these. We can get close. We need to keep improving,” he said.

“But I told you at the start when I was going to do this. I’m going to press, and I won’t sit back. I know that goes against some people, but this is who I am.

Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan has joined the Enhanced Games, a multi-sport competition that will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subject to drug tests.

Ryan, who was born in the USA, competed in three successive Olympics Games for Ireland before announcing his retirement from the sport earlier this month.

“After a decade dedicated to traditional competition on the world’s highest stage, I’m excited to dive into this next chapter with the Enhanced Games,” the 31-year-old said on his decision.

Ryan joins Team GB Olympic swimmer Ben Proud, four-time Greece Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev and US sprinter Fred Kerley in announcing his intentions to compete at the Games.

The move has been criticised by Sport Ireland, which says it is “deeply disappointed” with the decision.

The first Enhanced Games are due to take place in Las Vegas in 2026 with each event awarded a total prize purse of $500,000 and a $1m on offer for competitors who break world records.

Swim Ireland has also condemned the move, confirming his disassociation with the organisation and that he will no longer be provided with any funding or services.

Ryan competed at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games, becoming the first Irish swimmer to participate at three Olympics.

The full-time whistle at Windsor Park was met by jeers, which then turned to a loud round of applause.

The frustration was directed towards the match officials who left the field of play after adding only two minutes onto the end of 90 minutes, and waved away late appeals for a penalty.

The cheers, which soon drowned out the jeers, were for a young Northern Ireland side who had given everything and put Germany on the ropes in the closing stages of the 1-0 defeat in World Cup qualifying.

Ultimately, it came down to small margins.

What if Paddy McNair hadn’t strayed offside in the build-up to Dan Ballard’s disallowed effort?

What if the ball had bounced over or wide from Nick Woltemade’s shoulder, rather than into the net?

What if Callum Marshall’s chance had fallen on his stronger foot?

Those questions don’t change the result on the night, but they were the difference as a Germany side far from their vintage best got the job done to take charge of Group A.

“We’re disappointed and it’s a sore loss,” O’Neill, who was taking charge of his 100th game, said after the defeat.

“I thought in the first half we lacked a bit of belief with the ball. Germany forced their physicality on top of us, and it was difficult for us to get any rhythm in the game.

“The disallowed goal would have helped us at that point, but it was offside. We shouldn’t be offside in that situation so that’s an error on our part.”

O’Neill felt Woltemade’s first-half winner was a “freak goal” but said his players should have defended the corner better.

“It comes off the player’s shoulder and ends up in our net.

“That was the disappointing thing. But in the second half we were terrific. We just couldn’t force an equaliser in the end.

It is not the first time Northern Ireland’s young players had matched Germany after a battling 60 minutes in Cologne before the hosts pulled clear with a quickfire double.

The contrast this time was stark, as Northern Ireland piled the pressure on the German defence in an additional two minutes that ended all to quickly – a tally O’Neill described as “ridiculous”.

O’Neill also said that Northern Ireland missed the energy and quality of the suspended Bradley at right-back, but was delighted with the performance of his players in the second half.

Windsor Park was at its rip-roaring best on Monday to greet Germany and O’Neill said the home support “carried” his young squad as legs started to tire.

“We’re at home, that’s the biggest difference [to the reverse fixture].

“We’re at home and we’re chasing the game. We’ve put a huge amount into the game on Friday night [in a 2-0 win over Slovakia] and the crowd carried us tonight when we needed them to carry us.

Despite the loss, and his frustration, O’Neill still had time for a joke with a member of the German media.

“Having looked at the stats, ironically Germany played more long balls than us in the game,” he said.

For his part, Julian Nagelsmann, whose comments after the reverse fixture in Cologne prompted O’Neill’s quip, was relieved to get through a “tough” game.

“The second half was all about defending,” Nagelsmann told BBC Sport.

“As I said before the game it was a really tough opponent, a lot of long balls and they fight and we had to fight as well.

“It was a good step in the right direction to beat a team like Northern Ireland and to fight for second balls and be as tough as the opponent.”

Top spot in Group A is now a long shot given Germany have put their grasp on automatic qualification.

But second place and a guaranteed play-off is still on the cards ahead of November’s two qualifiers in Slovakia and home to bottom side Luxembourg.

It may not be much consolation now, but a play-off as one of four Nations League group winners seems to be a more secure fall back given other results across Europe, if Northern Ireland were to miss out on the top two.