Overview

• Referee Daniel Siebert stopped play in the 66th minute when cameras spotted a rat during a pause for a Belgian head injury.
• Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois failed to catch the animal before Wales substitute Brennan Johnson guided it off the pitch.
• The rat slipped behind the VAR monitor and advertising boards and was not seen again after play resumed.
• Belgium won 4-2, with Kevin De Bruyne converting two penalties after Joe Rodon’s early opener, before Nathan Broadhead and Leandro Trossard added late goals.
• Cardiff operations chief Wayne Nash called the incident a “freak of nature” and cited bait stations, rigorous cleaning, and the stadium’s proximity to allotments and railway sidings, as Wales’ defeat makes a March play-off route more likely.