Stoke City winger Thomas, who delivered the corner that led to Joe Rodon’s opening goal in Cardiff on Monday night, was adamant that Wales’ performances against the group leaders prove the team is progressing under Craig Bellamy.
Wales lost 4-2 to the Belgians, following a 4-3 defeat in Brussels earlier in the campaign, results that leave Wales battling North Macedonia for second place in Group J.
Yet Thomas said the scorelines don’t reflect how competitive those matches truly were.
“I don’t think there’s been much difference, to be honest,” he said. “We’ve scored five goals against them and got zero points – and that’s frustrating. It hurts.
“We’ll watch the game back and learn from it. We know if we can score five goals against this Belgium team we can come back better.
“The gaffer’s been here over a year now and we’re still working. You can see in the performance that we’re not the same old Wales back in the day.
“It’s a new era and we’re a hungry bunch of lads, a team that’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
READ MORE: Craig Bellamy Admits Wales Will Need the Scenic Route if They are to Reach the World Cup Finals
Thomas’s Wales teammate Harry Wilson has emphasised the importance of securing home advantage for the play-offs as Wales aim to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
The Fulham forward said the prospect of hosting a semi-final in Cardiff could prove crucial in their push for qualification next March.
“It’s massive,” said Wilson, who featured in the 2022 World Cup play-off victories over Austria and Ukraine in the Welsh capital.
“The last World Cup showed how important those two home games were.
“It won’t be easy. North Macedonia have showed what a difficult team they are. They’ve drawn twice with Belgium and once against us. When they come here next month we need to show that we’re really on top form.”
READ MORE: Wales Caught Out by Belgian Rat Trap as World Cup Hopes Narrow
Wales’ defeat to Belgium ended their hopes of automatic qualification, but a second-place finish remains possible if they can record strong results against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia next month.
Rodon’s header had given Wales an early lead against Belgium before Kevin De Bruyne struck twice from the penalty spot, with Thomas Meunier and Leandro Trossard also finding the net. Nathan Broadhead briefly gave Wales hope at 3-2, but Trossard sealed the visitors’ win moments later.
READ MORE: Sorba Thomas Reveals: Craig Bellamy Saved my Wales Career
“We had a real energy going into this game,” said Wilson, who will miss the Liechtenstein fixture through suspension.
“It was back in our hands and we wanted to make the most of that. We started exactly how we wanted to but the (first) penalty decision flipped the game.
“We scored five goals against Belgium in two games and have not got a point. Do you class yourself as unlucky?
“Or does it show if we get it right what a good team we are? Or if we’re not there what a good team they are?
“It’s fine margins when you’re playing against these top teams, but now it’s on to next month.
“Of course. It's about regrouping now. We'll go back to our clubs now and hopefully get more minutes there. We'll come back in November stronger and ready to go again.”
