Wales fell to a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat against Belgium in World Cup qualifying after mounting an extraordinary comeback from three goals down, only to be denied by Kevin De Bruyne's winner two minutes from time.
The dramatic encounter in Brussels saw Wales' 4,500-strong travelling support witness their side collapse to a 3-0 deficit within 27 minutes through Romelu Lukaku's penalty, Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku.
However, Craig Bellamy's side displayed remarkable fighting spirit to level the match through Harry Wilson, Sorba Thomas and Brennan Johnson before De Bruyne's late volley shattered Welsh hopes.
The result ended Bellamy's unbeaten run after 10 matches in charge.
Wales fell to a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat against Belgium in World Cup qualifying after mounting an extraordinary comeback from three goals down, only to be denied by Kevin De Bruyne's winner two minutes from time
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Following the defeat, Thomas delivered a defiant assessment of Wales' performance despite the result.
"I don't think they showed us the respect we deserved," said Thomas, who recently joined Stoke City from Huddersfield.
"I think they thought the game was done, but we showed our Welsh fire. We run through brick walls for each other."
The midfielder insisted the team had achieved a moral victory despite the scoreline.
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Wales star Sorba Thomas has taken aim at Belgium following his side's defeat on Monday night
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"Even though we lost, I feel like we won in our own heads," Thomas added.
The match was marred by contentious VAR interventions, with nearly every goal subjected to lengthy video reviews.
Wales were particularly aggrieved by the penalty decision that led to Belgium's opener, as Johnson was judged to have handled De Bruyne's shot despite his arm being close to his body.
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A late Lukaku goal was also disallowed following another VAR check, leading to both Bellamy and Belgium manager Rudi Garcia receiving bookings for their protests.
Bellamy, meanwhile, insisted he was proud of his side despite the defeat.
"Since September when I first came in, I’ve felt immensely proud to be their coach," he told the BBC.
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"Every training session, every game they’ve left me with that.
"To come here, I hope second half they’ve seen what they can do. They have to understand how good they are.
"That was pleasing. I hope this gives us the belief to be the team we want to be. We move on from here."
He added: "To come to a top eight team in the world and play that well, that’s going to give us so much.
Craig Bellamy insisted he was proud of his Wales side despite their defeat to Belgium
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"I don’t like the defeats and I don’t feel like 'unlucky Wales.' No, we need to win these games.
"But after being 3-0 down when we could have gone the other way, for them to believe in themselves, I believe that will give us so much going forward."
Wales are next in action against Kazakhstan on September 4. They'll then lock horns with Canada in a friendly five days later.
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