Belgium missed out on a World Cup spot after a 1-1 draw against Kazakhstan on Saturday.
Coach Rudi Garcia’s team can secure a ticket to next year’s tournament with a win over Liechtenstein in Tuesday’s final qualifying round.
Belgium leads Group J with two points ahead of North Macedonia.
The draw in Astana ensured that the Belgians would finish in the top two. The 12 players from the group who make it through the European qualifiers will directly participate in the World Cup. The remaining four spots on the continent will be determined by a play-off between the 12th place runners-up.
Kazakhstan took the lead in the 9th minute with a goal from 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev.
Belgium leveled the score in the 48th minute when Hans Vanaken headed in a cross from Club Brugge midfielder Timothy Castagne.
However, Belgium, who defeated Kazakhstan 6-0 in September, were unable to take advantage of bringing on extra players in the 79th minute after Islam Chesnokov was given a red card for a tough challenge on Jeremy Doku.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
