Portugal vs. Cymru | 2027 UEFA Nations League – League phase – GrpA4

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

There have been just four previous meetings between Cymru and Portugal in a fixture dating all the way back to 1949.

That first friendly match took place on 15 May at the Nacional Stadium in Lisbon, with the home side registering a 3-2 victory. Trevor Ford scored both Cymru goals in the opening half of the match.

The two nations then met again at Ninian Park in front of a reported 60,000 fans in 1951. This time it was Cymru that came out on top as goals from Mal Griffiths and another from Ford sealed a 2-1 friendly win. It remains Cymru’s only win against Portugal.

Almost half a century would pass before the two teams reunited as manager Mark Hughes took his squad to the Estadio Municipal de Chaves for a friendly in June 2000. The legendary Luís Figo opened the scoring for Portugal in a comfortable 3-0 win.

Three players in that starting line-up for Cymru would later manage their country with Rob Page, the late Gary Speed and current Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy all named in the first XI, together with current Cymru U21 boss Matty Jones.

However, the most recent match between Cymru and Portugal would prove to be the most memorable as the two sides came together at the semi-finals of EURO 2016 in Lyon.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in the second half proved to be the difference for the eventual tournament winners as they claimed a 2-0 win (below).

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT

Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy announced his 28-man squad for the opening four UEFA Nations League fixtures.

The new campaign begins away to Portugal and Denmark on 24 and 27 September before the side return to the Cardiff City Stadium to take on Norway and Denmark again on 1 and 4 October.

Defenders Joe Rodon and Dylan Lawlor are amongst those that miss out through injury, but there are welcome returns for Harry Wilson, Jordan James and Ben Cabango as Cymru prepare for their second League A campaign. Check out Cymru’s UEFA Nations League record here.

“This is a completely different format in that we have four games in a short space of time and it’s going to test us squad-wise,” explained Bellamy at his squad announcement press conference. “We’re going to have to be flexible with the squad and I’m excited about that.

“I love the Nations League as I think it makes such sense to me. These are top games and the quality of opposition is going to be there. The intensity of what’s going to be required in these games is top level in every single game and that’s exciting. It’s going to be a test for us, but it’s going to be a test for me too.”