‘Mr Calm’ Bellamy looks to Skopje after opening World Cup qualifying win

North Macedonia v. Wales: World Cup qualifying for 2026

Date: Tuesday, March 25th, 2019 Kick-off: 19:45 GMT National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje

After their first World Cup qualifier, which ended in Kazakhstan, Wales captain Ben Davies called head coach Craig Bellamy “Mr. Calm.”

Wales, who are ranked 110th in the world, defeated a tenacious Kazakhstan side 3-1 in Cardiff on Saturday, finishing just below their best effort.

Bellamy’s successful but frequently content playing career included those at Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Manchester City.

The former Wales captain has since shown himself to be more mature and considerate since taking over the country last year.

They were compact, making it extremely challenging for us. You could tell from the first half that we forced a lot of balls when we didn’t really need to,” Davies, who scored Wales’ second goal, told Match of the Day Wales.

“We were much more disciplined in the second half, which is the most crucial thing,” said the leader. The longer it goes on at 1-1, the more tension builds up the goal [Davies scored] comes at the ideal moment for us.

We’ve all played games where we were favorites and had high expectations to sweep over a team, but we never know. They are a proud nation that is attempting to win a game in our way.

Wales’ next stop is North Macedonia, which defeated Group J’s bottom seeds Liechtenstein 3-0 to open their campaign on Tuesday.

Wales may start as a slight favorite in Skopje, but North Macedonia will need a lot more from their previous six points to get there.

The group’s top seeds are Belgium, who are yet to play, and Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan, who are second and third, respectively.

Only the group winners will automatically be able to win the World Cup, with the group winners going on to face off against the winner.

With their Nations League victory, Wales have already almost guaranteed themselves a play-off spot, and the defeat of North Macedonia could significantly increase their chances of being automaticly qualified.

Bellamy remarked, “They’re a good team.” We must perform at our absolute best. Do I blame it on it for my sleepless nights? No. There are more crucial matters.

Being able to send a team to a place like North Macedonia is a challenge I like. I’d like to help prepare a team for a trip to Brazil. Both myself and the players need to improve.