Cymru defeated in close contest with Portugal

Portugal 1-0 Cymru

• Portugal begin their defence on the Nations League with victory
• João Félix scores the only goal of the game
• Cymru produce a spirited performance and will be disappointed not to take a point
• Cymru go to Denmark on Sunday

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo dominated the pre-match build-up but it was João Félix who would score the decisive goal for his side in Lisbon as Cymru suffered a 1-0 defeat.

Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy went into this extended international window without several key players including Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson and goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Competing in League A for the second time, Cymru earned their place on merit as Bellamy’s tenure began with promotion from an undefeated campaign in 2024. 

By comparison, Portugal were the winners of the last edition of the UEFA Nations League and named a strong squad of undoubted talent and experience under new head coach Jorge Jesus. Headlined by the talismanic Ronaldo, the 41-year-old would make his 234th appearance for his country against Cymru.

Cymru captain Ben Davies missed the last meeting between the two nations at the semi-finals of EURO 2016 through suspension, while the performances from Lewis Koumas for Liverpool in the opening weeks of the season earned him a place in the starting line-up.

With the odds against them, Cymru made a positive start to the match with Koumas central to their attacking play in the opening exchanges. Brennan Johnson’s pace was also used to good effect in disrupting the Portuguese defence, but it didn’t take long for the home side to settle into this opening match of the new campaign.

After 10 minutes Ronaldo showed his attacking intent to draw a save from goalkeeper Danny Ward, and the chances kept coming as Rúben Neves twice came close to opening the scoring. Nuno Mendes was a constant problem for Cymru on the left, and it seemed only a matter of time before they turned their possession into the first goal.

At the midway point in the half, João Félix shot from outside the area and his effort took a slight deflection off Ben Davies to beat Ward as the ball nestled in the corner of the net. The goal inspired Portugal, and further chances would follow for Ronaldo as he created three more opportunities for himself before half-time, but they could not increase their lead.

Portugal continued their dominance as the game restarted with Félix and Neves combining well with Ronaldo, who squandered a huge chance from close range on 49 minutes. Ronaldo had the ball in the net ten minutes later, but a VAR review confirmed that he was offside before slotting past Ward for what he thought was his 980th career goal. 

That VAR decision and Ronaldo’s departure shortly after gave Cymru a visible lift and the counter-attacks increased. On 74 minutes, Johnson hit the crossbar from the tightest of angles, and substitute Dan James and Koumas were denied by Rúben Dias from the rebound as they both went for the same ball.

With both teams making changes, the game became increasingly open in the final exchanges. However, it was Portugal that would hold on and start the new campaign with a victory. Cymru now head to Denmark on Sunday, and Bellamy will be keen for his side to show the same belief and character that kept them in this match until the final whistle.