Wales laboured to a 1-0 win over Liechtenstein in Vaduz to keep 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 home side, ranked 206th in the world, had held out for over an hour.
The relief was shared by the 3,000 travelling fans, but the victory came at a cost. James and Ethan Ampadu both received late yellow cards and will miss Tuesday’s decisive home match against North Macedonia through suspension. That fixture is a must-win for Wales to leapfrog their opponents and secure a more favourable play-off draw in March.
Manager Craig Bellamy served a touchline ban from the stands after accumulating two yellow cards in the competition, leaving assistant Piet Cremers to direct the team. Cremers said: “It’s never nice to lose players through suspension or injury, but we have a really good squad. Players who have played before know the detail.”
Wales dominated possession against a Liechtenstein side that had conceded 23 goals in six qualifying defeats without scoring. The best early chances fell to Nathan Broadhead, whose pressing forced an error for James’s first effort, and later a disallowed goal for offside after a corner. Daniel James hit the woodwork early in the second half before setting up the winner with a low cross for Jordan James to tap in.
Cremers added: “Everyone expects you to win 5-0 or 6-0, but when you come to these places it can be difficult. They are well organised and keep spaces small. Our focus now turns to North Macedonia in Cardiff, where we have our fans in numbers.”
