Cristiano Ronaldo may have commanded much of the attention at the José Alvalade Stadium, but it was another Al-Nassr forward who ultimately decided the contest.
João Félix struck in the first half to give Portugal a 1-0 Nations League victory over Wales, with the hosts doing enough to protect their advantage despite failing to turn a succession of opportunities into further goals.
The decisive move began with Nuno Mendes drifting away from his usual position and moving centrally before finding Félix near the edge of the penalty area. From roughly 20 yards, the forward fired towards goal, with his effort taking a touch off Wales captain Ben Davies before beating Danny Ward.
Portugal created enough openings to make the final margin considerably more comfortable. Instead, Wales remained within touching distance and came close to punishing their opponents. Brennan Johnson struck the crossbar, while Rúben Dias was forced into a vital intervention to prevent Lewis Koumas from finding a way through.
For a Welsh side lacking several important players and containing a number of footballers short of recent competitive action, the narrow scoreline offered encouragement despite the defeat.
Ronaldo Returns to Familiar Surroundings
Much of the build-up naturally revolved around Ronaldo. The 41-year-old was playing in Lisbon for the first time since October of the previous year, returning to the stadium where his senior career began with Sporting.
Jorge Jesus had already indicated that Ronaldo would be in the starting XI, and the Portugal captain duly led the attack. Although Ronaldo had spoken about the beginning of a different chapter under Jesus, including changes in tactical ideas and even the language used around the team compared with predecessor Roberto Martínez, Portugal’s personnel remained largely familiar.
There was only one alteration from the side eliminated by Spain in the last 16 of the World Cup in Dallas. Rúben Neves, another member of Portugal’s Saudi Arabia-based contingent, came into the midfield three in place of João Neves.
Jesus arrived with extensive knowledge of both Portuguese football and Ronaldo himself. He has twice been Benfica manager, previously spent three seasons in charge of Sporting and worked with Ronaldo at Al-Nassr during the previous campaign.
Before facing Wales, Jesus offered a strong defence of his veteran forward and referred to Ronaldo’s importance as a national symbol.
Evidence of the captain’s enormous popularity was hardly difficult to find around Lisbon. Official Portugal shops in Praça da Figueira offered an extraordinary range of CR7 merchandise, extending far beyond shirts. Products included underwear, masks, figures, lanyards, Lego, Ballon d’Or replicas and a collection commemorating Ronaldo’s Sporting years.
Wales Forced to Work Without Key Players
Craig Bellamy knew his team would face long spells under pressure against opponents featuring five players who had won the Champions League.
His options were also restricted. Harry Wilson, one of Wales’s standout performers in recent years, was unavailable through injury, as was Karl Darlow, who has established himself as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Even so, Wales approached the opening stages with confidence. Bellamy had emphasised the value of keeping the ball as a way of disrupting Portugal’s rhythm rather than simply retreating into a defensive shape.
Clear opportunities were difficult to manufacture. Ben Cabango’s relatively comfortable header represented the visitors’ only first-half attempt, and Diogo Costa was not seriously tested before the interval.
At the other end, Portugal repeatedly found ways to create openings, particularly for their captain.
Ronaldo Unable to Convert Portugal’s Pressure
Ronaldo had four promising opportunities during the opening 45 minutes, yet none produced the goal the home crowd was waiting to celebrate.
One of his better chances arrived from approximately 12 yards, only for the striker to fail to make the contact he wanted. His frustration was immediately apparent.
A free-kick was subsequently sent into the Welsh defensive wall. Bruno Fernandes then provided another opening for Ronaldo amid a surge of noise from the stands, but the forward’s first touch let him down and the ball escaped awkwardly from his left foot.
Another opportunity followed at the far post, where Ronaldo attempted a volley from a difficult position but could only send his effort wide.
His difficulties in front of goal continued after the break.
Only four minutes had passed in the second half when Rúben Neves delivered an inviting ball from the right. Ronaldo had escaped his marker and was waiting inside the six-yard area with an excellent opportunity to increase Portugal’s advantage.
The finish did not match the quality of the delivery. The ball came off Ronaldo’s left shin and flew over the target.
The miss left him kneeling beyond the Welsh goal, cheeks puffed as another major opportunity disappeared.
VAR Denies Ronaldo His Celebration
Ronaldo appeared to have finally found the goal he had been chasing as the match approached the hour mark.
Fernandes again supplied the pass, with Ronaldo accelerating beyond Cabango before putting the ball into the net. The familiar celebration followed, much to the delight of the Portuguese supporters.
It did not survive the review.
VAR established that Ronaldo had moved into an offside position before receiving Fernandes’s delivery, meaning the goal was ruled out and Portugal’s advantage remained at one.
The evening ended without a goal for the captain. In the 67th minute, his No 7 appeared on the substitution board. Ronaldo removed the armband from his left arm before making his way off, with the referee, Donatas Rumsas, encouraging him to leave the field more quickly.
Most of the stadium responded with a standing ovation, although the travelling Welsh support understandably declined to join in. Gonçalo Ramos replaced Ronaldo for the remainder of the match.
It was a frustrating conclusion for a player who had been repeatedly presented with opportunities to score. Between the first-half openings, the glaring chance shortly after the restart and the disallowed effort, Ronaldo had enjoyed more than enough sights of goal to leave the pitch disappointed.
Wales Threaten a Late Response
Portugal’s inability to build a larger advantage ensured Wales remained alive deep into the contest.
Bellamy introduced fresh options as he searched for an equaliser, with Daniel James replacing David Brooks in the 63rd minute. Chris Mepham later came on for Cabango, while Kieffer Moore and Sorba Thomas were introduced for Koumas and Jordan James respectively.
Moore was eventually presented with one of Wales’s few late opportunities but sliced his attempt wide.
There were nevertheless positive individual performances for the visitors. Jay Dasilva produced an impressive display at left-back, while Davies organised the Welsh back line despite arriving with very little recent match action.
The Wales captain, who has passed 100 international appearances, was making only his second appearance of the season. His previous competitive minutes had come for Tottenham against Charlton’s B team in the Carabao Cup.
Ward was similarly short of football. Before starting in Lisbon, the goalkeeper’s only appearance had been for Wrexham in the same competition six weeks earlier.
Those circumstances made Wales’s ability to stay competitive particularly notable.
Portugal Dominate Chances but Not Possession
The final statistics illustrated both Portugal’s attacking superiority and Wales’s resilience.
Possession was divided evenly at 50% each, but the hosts generated substantially more attempts. Portugal recorded 23 shots in total, with five hitting the target and another 18 finishing off target.
Wales managed five attempts, none of which were officially recorded as being on target.
Portugal also held a significant advantage from corners, winning 10 compared with Wales’s two. The foul count was closer, with Portugal penalised 11 times and Wales nine.
Those figures underlined the hosts’ failure to translate their attacking volume into a more decisive result. Portugal repeatedly reached promising positions but had only Félix’s goal to show for their pressure.
Starting Line-ups and Changes
Portugal began with Diogo Costa in goal, supported by João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga and Nuno Mendes. Rúben Neves operated in midfield alongside Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes, while Pedro Neto and João Félix joined Ronaldo in the attacking unit.
Jesus made several changes during the second half. João Palhinha and Gonçalo Ramos entered in the 67th minute for Rúben Neves and Ronaldo. Nuno Tavares replaced Mendes after 78 minutes, while Diogo Dalot and João Neves came on for Cancelo and Fernandes in the 90th minute.
Portugal’s unused options included Rui Silva, José Sá, Tomás Araújo, Bernardo Silva, Francisco Conceição, Francisco Trincão and Rafael Leão.
Wales started with Ward in goal. Neco Williams, Cabango, Davies and Dasilva formed the defensive group, with Brooks, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Sheehan, Johnson, Koumas and Jordan James completing Bellamy’s XI.
James came on for Brooks after 63 minutes, Mepham replaced Cabango in the 71st, and Moore and Thomas entered six minutes later in place of Koumas and Jordan James.
The Welsh substitutes who remained unused were David Cornell, Tom King, Wes Burns, Liam Cullen, Connor Roberts, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Mark Harris and Rubin Colwill.
Narrow Margin Tells Only Part of the Story
Portugal ultimately had to settle for the smallest possible winning margin on an evening when their finishing repeatedly failed them.
Félix provided the one moment that counted, converting Portugal’s first-half pressure into the game’s only goal. Ronaldo, meanwhile, experienced a dramatically different evening. Chances arrived with regularity, one apparent goal was erased following a VAR intervention, and his return to Lisbon ended with an ovation rather than an addition to his scoring record.
For Wales, defeat came with reasons for optimism. Bellamy’s depleted side survived extended periods of Portuguese pressure, remained disciplined enough to keep the contest alive and even threatened to steal an equaliser.
Portugal could reasonably look at the number of opportunities they created and wonder how the match remained so close until the end. Wales, considering their absentees and the limited recent playing time of several starters, could leave Lisbon with encouragement despite returning without a point.
