Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said Portugal were "not impressed" by Wales' performance because they already knew the quality Craig Bellamy's side possess after the Dragons pushed the European giants all the way in Lisbon.
Portugal edged a 1-0 victory at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in the opening game of Wales' Nations League campaign, with Joao Felix's deflected first-half strike proving enough to settle a hard-fought contest.
Bellamy's side had their moments, particularly after the break, and came within inches of an equaliser when Brennan Johnson's effort clipped the crossbar before Portugal cleared the resulting scramble off the line.
Fernandes: We knew they were good
Fernandes, who captained Portugal after Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted, insisted Wales' performance had not come as a surprise to the hosts.
"No, we were not impressed," he told the BBC post-match when asked whether Wales had surprised Portugal with their performance.
"We knew they were good. We know that they have a lot of good players.
"I've played against many of them. If they play in the Premier League they need to have quality. They need to have a certain high level."
"So I think we knew they could cause us problems. But we created a lot of chances and we could have scored more goals."
"Unfortunately today it was not the case but we scored one and didn't concede and that's amazing."
Wales absentees and upcoming fixtures
Wales' performance was made all the more impressive by the absences Bellamy had to contend with, with Harry Wilson, Joe Rodon, Nathan Broadhead, Dylan Lawlor and starting goalkeeper Karl Darlow among those unavailable.
The result means Wales begin their return to Nations League A with a defeat, but they showed enough to suggest Portugal will face another difficult assignment when the sides meet again later in the campaign.
The reverse fixture takes place on November 17, when Portugal will travel to Wales and face a very different atmosphere.
Fernandes is expecting the hosts to feel the full force of their home support.
"Yes, probably even more pressure, playing with your fans against us," he said.
"We know the atmosphere you can create there.
"We expect a lot of pressure and moments where fans will push the team to go forward and we need to be aware of that."
Wales' next fixture sees them take on Denmark on Sunday, while Portugal will take on Norway in the other match in Nations League A Group 4.
