"To watch it happen was like 'Wow' but, at the same time, to come away with a point actually leaves me disappointed, I have to be honest, due to the performance."
This was how Craig Bellamy summarised the late carnage that unfolded at the Toše Proeski Arena on Tuesday night.
Wales were the better side in North Macedonia. They had more than two-thirds of the possession, more shots, more shots on target and needed their goalkeeper to make far fewer saves.
They still very nearly left Skopje with nothing to show for their efforts after Bojan Miovski collected Joe Allen's gift of a pass before firing beyond Karl Darlow in the 91st minute.
Fortunately, route one football - particularly with a versatile giant in Kieffer Moore on the receiving end of a long delivery upfield - is still highly effective in 2025.
The Sheffield United striker's header fell kindly to David Brooks whose tame shot trickled over the line as Wales salvaged what had become an unlikely point to stretch Bellamy's unbeaten run as manager to eight matches.
"It could have been a very precious one [point]. I feel probably on the performance, I think the way I looked at the game today, I think we needed three. It could turn out to be an important point but time will tell," Bellamy added.
The reality is, Wales should never have even drawn this game, let alone lost it. Victory was there to be grasped.
Blagoja Milevski's side were relatively well organised but offered precious little in attack - certainly less than Bellamy himself expected, in fact.
The draw means Wales have not won their opening two World Cup qualifiers since beating San Marino twice for the 1998 tournament. Like all the others of the previous 40 years, that one didn't get anywhere, either.
But it can still be both a good and a bad point.
READ MORE: Wales Boss Craig Bellamy Insists: Don't Blame Joe Allen . . . That’s What I Demand!
If Wales were to stand any realistic chance of usurping Belgium when it came to the race for first place in Group J, they probably needed to win in Skopje.
On the flip side, the draw bolsters Wales' hopes of finishing second, and thus ensuring they will be in the play-offs, although they do have the safety net of having won their Nations League group last time out.
It also keeps the unbeaten run going, which is no mean feat at international level.
What undoubtedly stood out most in North Macedonia, though, was the way Wales controlled the match.
The style shift in the post-Rob Page era was evident from the opening exchanges of the 0-0 draw with Turkey at Cardiff City Stadium in September.
Wales simply don't usually dominate possession and control matches like they did in Skopje. But under Bellamy, they certainly want to.
The level of opposition certainly needs to be taken into account, and for all of their time on the ball, there were only really two clear cut chances for those in red - with one falling to Sorba Thomas in the first half and the second seeing Brennan Johnson have an effort cleared off the line.
Without a prime Gareth Bale, Ian Rush, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes or John Charles to produce a moment of magic, Wales simply have to be a more effective unit.
It's something Bellamy acknowledged from the word go, and goes some way to explaining his regular rotation and eagerness to bring fresh talent into the squad.
READ MORE: Craig Bellamy Urges Wales To Help Soothe Pain-Filled North Macedonia
Page regularly spoke about transitioning from the glory days post-Euro 2016, an issue that remains ongoing as legends including Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen find their influence waning.
To that end, there has to be huge excitement around the work Bellamy is doing with Wales so far.
He is moving away from reliance on the flashes of individual brilliance that Bale or Ramsey could conjure, towards a sustainable collective effort from the team as a whole.
We are now allowed to be disappointed with failing to win away from home, or not scoring enough goals, or not playing a better style.
Bellamy's determination to raise expectations has made sure of that.
