Dragons on fire, Norway also solid as qualifiers start

Wales beat Kazakhstan 3-1 on March 22 to start their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while Erling Haaland was among the scorers as Norway swept to a 5-0 victory in Moldova.

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PARIS - Wales beat Kazakhstan 3-1 on March 22 to start their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while Erling Haaland was among the scorers as Norway swept to a 5-0 victory in Moldova.

Wales are chasing a second straight appearance at the World Cup Finals after they made it to the 2022 tournament in Qatar, and Craig Bellamy's team saw off a dogged Kazakhstan side at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Wales went in front in the Group J encounter inside nine minutes, with a deflected effort from Leeds United winger Daniel James.

Kazakhstan, who are 110th in the Fifa rankings, equalised just after the half-hour mark, with Askhat Tagybergen converting from the spot following a handball by Connor Roberts.

Wales picked up where they left off in their impressive Uefa Nations League performances at the end of 2024 as they got the job done in the second half.

Captain Ben Davies restored the lead with a header shortly after the restart. Rabbi Matondo came off the bench to wrap up the win.