Article body analysed

Brennan Johnson scored Wales' third of seven goals against North Macedonia Brennan Johnson admits he always feels like he has a point to prove as he delivered a sumptuous display to help Wales thrash North Macedonia 7-1 in Cardiff. The Tottenham Hotspur forward bagged his seventh international goal in sublime style as Craig Bellamy's side earned a home play-off semi-final ahead of next year's World Cup by finishing second in their qualifying group. Behind Gareth Bale, Johnson, 24, is Wales' most expensive ever player, having joined Spurs for a hefty fee of £50m from Nottingham Forest in 2023. On the back of his stellar performance in the red of Wales at Cardiff City Stadium, the winger admitted he puts plenty of pressure on himself to deliver at the highest level. "I think I always feel like I have a point to prove. I'm someone who can be quite tough on himself, " he told BBC Match of the Day Wales. "I just always want to go out and perform my best. " This video can not be played 'I told the players to enjoy it' - Bellamy Prior to his goal, Johnson caused havoc on the left wing before crossing to David Brooks, who scored Wales' second goal against Blagoja Milevski's side. Former Wales midfielder Joe Ledley felt Johnson "had a real spring in his step", with Ledley's ex-international team-mate Ashley Williams heaping praise on the 42-cap forward. "From the off Brennan Johnson looked a lot more positive than he has done recently. You felt like he needed a big moment, " said Williams. "People were questioning whether he should start and I think he answered that today. "He can't help the price-tag that's on his head. That's irrelevant. "You could see in the celebration that the goal meant a lot to him. " Speaking to BBC Radio Cymru, ex-Wales striker Iwan Roberts commented: "I think that's the best we've seen from Brennan Johnson in the red shirt of Wales. He scored a great goal. " Two games from the World Cup - but who will Wales face? 'Close to perfect' - Bellamy revels in Wales masterclass Wilson hat-trick helps Wales crush North Macedonia Johnson was instrumental in Wales' front four - alongside hat-trick hero Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Dan James - as Bellamy's men claimed their biggest win since 1978. They will face either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland at Cardiff City Stadium in the play-off semi-finals on 26 March. A draw will determine whether Wales are at home or away for the final - with Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Ukraine, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Romania and Sweden being their potential opponents, should they progress, for the pivotal fixture on 31 March. On having home advantage in the last four, Johnson said: "It means a lot. You only have to look at the last two play-offs (for World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024), all at home and I think it made a massive impact on the games. "We won both semi-finals (against Austria and Finland) and lost out on penalties to Poland. "It's something that was definitely mentioned going into the game. We already had the play-offs secured, but we wanted the home draw. " Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser 'Scotland cash in almost 30 years of glorious failure as dreams come true' Curacao become smallest nation to qualify for World Cup England name Bashir in squad for Ashes opener All the reaction from Scotland's 2026 World Cup qualification Was 'Bloody Mary' evil or a genius? Join Sara Cox on her Great Northern Marathon Challenge Understanding the psychology of lying Scotland edge out Denmark in six-goal epic to reach World Cup. Video Scotland edge out Denmark in six-goal epic to reach World Cup 'Scotland cash in almost 30 years of glorious failure as dreams come true' Meet Australia's deadly accurate 'hired assassin' 'Close to perfect' - Bellamy revels in Wales masterclass 'It felt like God's hand on my brain' - the day England were humbled by teenager Joshua given offer he simply couldn't refuse - Bunce Is Bellingham Tuchel's best player or problem to solve? 'He'd have lit up like a Christmas tree' - Mc Grath on scans, Bazball & Australia Was Gattuso right - is World Cup qualifying unfair on Europe? Broncos sack masters & could Chiefs miss play-offs? Best of NFL week 11 Will Perth Stadium be as fast as the Waca? Your ultimate Ashes grounds guide How will World Cup play-offs be determined? Target Liverpool, go four at back - FPL tips to kick-start your season 'European golf in rude health but sponsor demands solutions to fractured game' Townsend's Scotland in troubled waters after collapse From unknown teen to world number one - Littler's rise in his own words Defiance, energy, new heights - Sinner keeps Alcaraz 'on a leash' Fuelled by fear, Benn ends 35-year wait for revenge Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.