Wales secured a 2-1 win over 10-man Norway at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday night, their first victory of 2026, with goals from Daniel James and Neco Williams.
First win of 2026
It has been a difficult 2026 for Wales, and Craig Bellamy had previously suggested criticism of his side's recent form was largely warranted. But on this occasion, his side deserve nothing but lavish praise after a special night under the lights at Cardiff City Stadium.
This win over 10-man Norway, the first for Wales in 2026, surely ranks among Bellamy's best results, and perhaps gives weight to the argument so many within the camp have made in this international break - Wales deserve their place at the top table.
Early setback and response
After that humbling defeat by Denmark in Copenhagen, many might have feared heads would drop when Oscar Bobb netted to give the visitors an early advantage. But Wales showed character by the bucketload in their response, which gained lift-off when Daniel James popped up just before half-time to restore parity with his 11th international goal.
Wales, previously yet to get off the mark in this UEFA Nations League campaign, then took the lead just after the break in a manic start to the second half. Torbjorn Heggem was given his marching orders shortly after the restart for bringing down Daniel James on the edge of the area while the Leeds United man was clean through. Then, from the resulting freekick, Neco Williams struck to give his side the lead.
Bellamy under pressure
The result will be warmly welcomed by Bellamy, who has come under some pressure recently after overseeing a difficult 2026, punctuated by a failure to qualify for the World Cup and a near-exit to join Burnley. He made five changes to the side that lost in Copenhagen, while the big news for the visitors was the inclusion of captain Martin Odegaard.
Much had been made of whether Odegaard would be involved here, with the Arsenal man on the receiving end of a heavy challenge at the hands of Bernardo Silva against Portugal in their last outing. His influence was felt just after 10 minutes, an inch-perfect pass setting Bobb free into the area, and he duly applied the finish.
Wales turn the tide
Wales had previously had only four shots on target in their opening two games of the Nations League campaign, but their response here was hugely pleasing. Liam Cullen's angled drive forced a smart save from Orjan Nyland just after half an hour, before Ethan Ampadu sent a speculative effort whistling over the bar moments later. The pressure paid off just before the break, with Thomas sliding an inch-perfect low cross for Dan James inside the six-yard box, and he duly tapped home.
After a highly satisfactory first half, the contest would continue to swing in their favour after the break. A clipped ball over the top was chased by Daniel James, who was clean through on goal before being shoved over by Heggem. Referee Alejandro Hernandez had no hesitation in producing a red card. The hosts took just under a minute to make the most of their advantage, with Williams stepping up to fizz the resulting freekick on the edge of the area into the bottom corner of the net.
Williams forced another save from Nyland just after the hour at the other end, with Thomas later driving a low shot just wide. Substitutes Josh Sheehan and Mark Harris both forced saves late on as Wales looked to kill the game off inside the last 15 minutes, while Jorgen Stand Larsen curled narrowly wide at the other end.
Haaland quiet
The man many expected to be on the scoresheet tonight, meanwhile, endured a pretty quiet outing in Cardiff. Indeed, a header straight into the arms of Danny Ward late on was about as close as Erling Haaland came to scoring, with this appearance against the backdrop of the developments at Manchester City.
Both Bellamy and opposite number Stale Solbakken insisted the noise at Haaland's club wouldn't be a distraction, but the forward was notably quiet on this occasion, although that might have been more down to the colossal performances of Ben Davies and Ben Cabango at the back. Wales are highly unlikely to dwell on Haaland's struggles as they toast this win, which will hopefully give them some momentum for the visit of Denmark on Sunday.
