Liechtenstein 0-1 Cymru
- Jordan James scores his first goal for Cymru to win the game
- Ethan Ampadu and Jordan James suspended for North Macedonia decider
- Cymru, Belgium and North Macedonia can still win the group
- Cymru play North Macedonia in Cardiff on Tuesday
Jordan James was the hero for Cymru as his first senior international goal proved to be the difference in Vaduz, but he and captain Ethan Ampadu will now miss the decisive match against North Macedonia on Tuesday through suspension.
This was a must-win match for Cymru, and head coach Craig Bellamy made four changes to his starting line-up, partly enforced through the injury that Ben Davies suffered in the defeat against Belgium last month and Harry Wilson’s suspension.
Surprise
The dynamic of the group shifted before kick-off as Belgium were held to a surprise 1-1 draw against Kazakhstan in Astana. The result meant that a victory for Cymru against Liechtenstein would leave three nations still able to claim top spot in the final round of fixtures on Tuesday night.
Liechtenstein went into the match still searching for their first points of the campaign, but it was Cymru, backed by over 3,000 travelling fans, that dominated the opening exchanges without creating any clear chances on goal.
The first effort on target arrived after 19 minutes as Jordan James combined with Nathan Broadhead, but James’ effort was saved by Benjamin Büchel. Minutes later, Broadhead rounded the keeper but could not keep his opportunity on target.
VAR rules out goal
Broadhead thought he had given Cymru the lead on 25 minutes but a VAR review disallowed the goal for an offside in the build-up. It would prove to be the best chance of the opening half, and while Cymru continued to dominate proceedings, Liechtenstein were increasingly growing in confidence as it remained 0-0 at half-time.
Cymru continued to test the Liechtenstein defence after the restart with Broadhead, Dan James and Neco Williams all going close to opening the scoring before Jordan James finally put the ball in the net. A superb pass from Williams found Dan James who squared the ball across goal for the midfielder to finish.
Liechtenstein go close but Cymru break deadlock
Liechtenstein created a rare opportunity for themselves on 77 minutes, but Andreas Malin could only head over from a corner despite finding himself unmarked. However, the chance did not spark a revival for the home side as Cymru continued to dominate. No further goals would follow and Cymru depart Vaduz with a 1-0 win.
The performance may have been more convincing than the result, but the biggest concern for Cymru will be the two yellow cards shown to Jordan James and captain Ethan Ampadu that will rule both midfielders out of Tuesday’s decisive match against North Macedonia.
Cymru now need a win to claim at least second place in Group J.
As it happened
Liechtenstein 0-1 Cymru
