Wales boss Craig Bellamy insisted he expected the tough test his team were given by Kazakhstan in their opening game of World Cup qualification.
Bellamy admitted he would have preferred a more comfortable evening for his side, than an at times nervy 3-1 victory at Cardiff City Stadium.
“It was a hard-fought win,” Bellamy said.
“I didn’t think we were living on the edge, but I still believe it was a difficult night.”
Despite an early lead through Dan James, Wales were pegged back by a controversial penalty before second-half goals from captain Ben Davies and Rabbi Matondo sealed the victory.
Wales made a bright start, taking the lead inside ten minutes with a well-worked corner that found James, whose deflected shot found the net.
However, just ten minutes later, James was brought down near the Kazakhstan penalty area, but despite protests, nothing was given.
Soon after, Kazakhstan were awarded a penalty for handball against Connor Roberts, even though his arm was close to his body.
"I thought it was very harsh, but I understand it can happen," Bellamy admitted. "I think we’ve all accepted that once the referee has given it, it’s not getting overturned."
Kazakhstan captain Askhat Tagybergen stepped up and, despite Karl Darlow getting a touch, the ball trickled over the line to level the game.
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Shortly after, VAR reviewed a reckless tackle on Roberts by Maxim Samorodov. The referee was sent to the monitor, but despite the challenge being high, only a yellow card was shown.
Wales responded just two minutes after the restart when Sorba Thomas’ corner picked out an unmarked Davies, who headed powerfully past the Kazakhstan goalkeeper.
"The key message at half-time was to keep our shape and stay patient," Bellamy revealed.
"They will tire, and we will pick them off. I tried to say that this isn’t going to be as easy as people think it will be."
Kazakhstan manager Ali Aliyev admitted his side was disappointed not to take something from the game.
"I thought that we would be able to get a point tonight," Aliyev said.
"It’s a shame that we lost two set pieces, we have to work on that. In European football, the devil is in the detail, and we didn’t manage to get those details right today."
Wales kept pressing for a third goal and finally got it in the 90th minute when Matondo finished from close range after a perfect cross from Thomas.
Davies praised Bellamy’s composed approach at half-time when Kazakhstan threatened to cause an upset.
"The players were the ones that were the most frustrated at half-time, whereas Bellamy came in Mr Calm," Davies said.
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"He came in with a plan, was clear in the messaging he gave us and what he expected in the second half. He simply asked for more energy and to keep doing what we were doing."
Wales have now gone seven games unbeaten under Bellamy, who led them to promotion in the Nations League last year.
Their World Cup campaign is off to a strong start as they prepare to face North Macedonia on Tuesday.
But Bellamy has emphasised patience in possession and urged fans to trust the team’s approach.
"We need to be patient with the ball and supporters need to be patient as well," he said.
"I still hear the shouts, ‘get it forward, get it there.’ I know, but I’m not hitting up ‘there’ when we have the numbers ‘here’. I much prefer our players being on the ball than not."
North Macedonia started their campaign with a 3-0 win over Liechtenstein, and Bellamy knows his team will face another tough challenge.
"They’re a good team," he said. "We have to be at our best. I like the challenge of preparing a team to go somewhere like North Macedonia. You have to embrace that and be excited about it.
“We’ve done a lot of work on them, so we’ll see where they’re at. It’s going to be a difficult game, we’ll need a different type of profile, a different type of energy for that game."
The match was a special occasion for Joe Rodon, who earned his 50th cap for Wales.
Bellamy praised the Leeds United defender’s importance to his system.
"I think he’s an outstanding player," Bellamy said. "Because of his speed and with the ball, he’s an exceptional profile. I looked at a lot of players before I took the job to see if I’d be able to play how I want to, and he fits into that perfectly."
Meanwhile, Matondo’s late goal marked his first for Wales, and Bellamy was delighted for the winger.
"I’ve known Rabbi since he was very young. It’s been so good having him in the group. He’s such a character, he’s so funny, the players and staff love him, you can’t help but love him."
