Wales secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Liechtenstein in Vaduz, keeping their hopes of finishing second in World Cup qualifying Group D alive. Jordan James scored his first international goal from close range in the 61st minute, after the hosts had frustrated Wales for over an hour.
The win moves Wales level on points with North Macedonia, who they face on Tuesday in Cardiff. That match is a must-win for Wales to overtake their rivals and secure a more favourable playoff draw in March. However, Wales will still reach the playoffs regardless due to their Nations League group win.
Manager Craig Bellamy watched from the stands due to a touchline ban, with assistant Piet Cremers taking charge. The victory came at a cost, as James and Ethan Ampadu both received yellow cards and are now suspended for the North Macedonia clash. Four Wales players were a booking away from missing the game, and two of them—James and Ampadu—were cautioned.
Cremers said: 'It's never nice to lose players through suspension or an injury. But I've learned very quickly in this job that there's nothing you can do about injuries and suspensions. You have to deal with it and we've got a really good squad.'
Liechtenstein, ranked 206th in the world, had not scored in six qualifying defeats and conceded 23 goals. Wales dominated possession but struggled to break down a deep defensive block. Nathan Broadhead forced an early save from Benjamin Büchel, and Daniel James hit the woodwork after the break. The deadlock was broken when Daniel James crossed for Jordan James to tap in.
Cremers added: 'We knew we had to take care of today. We did that and now our focus goes to North Macedonia. It will be another difficult game in Cardiff but we play at home, we've got our fans in numbers and we'll look to turn it into a positive result.'
