Bruised egos... but Wales will bounce back, vows Ampadu

ETHAN Ampadu insisted "bruised" Wales will recover from their Wembley defeat and bounce back for Monday's massive World Cup qualifier against Belgium.

- PHIL BLANCHE

Wales were dismantled by England inside the first 20 minutes of Thursday’s friendly as goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka underlined the gulf in class between the two sides.

Although Wales did not concede again and kept the scoreline to 3-0, manager Craig Bellamy was forced to defend choosing England - who are ranked fourth in the world - as opponents four days from Belgium's visit to Cardiff.

Wales must beat Belgium to retain hopes of finishing top of their qualification group and reaching next summer’s finals automatically, although their strong Nations League showing last year almost certainly guarantees them a playoff spot in March.

Asked if morale had been damaged by being swept aside by England, Leeds midfielder Ampadu said: “Maybe naturally in the moment, because we're all professionals.