Nations League A – Group 4
24th September 2026
Estadio Josse Alvalade, Portugal
After a summer of ‘Will he? Won’t he?’ It was finally time for some actual football. Cymru back in League A in a group that contains today’s opponents Portugal, along with Norway and Denmark. This match was on paper the toughest of six matches, taking on the 7th ranked team in Lisbon.
Not much of an history between these two countries, having played just the four times. Portugal winning three of the four, with Cymru’s only win coming in 1951, the great Trevor Ford and Mal Griffiths with the goals. The last time they met was of course the Euro 2016 Semi Final.
Cymru started the match brightly despite suffering numerous withdrawals in the build-up and not having won since the trashing of North Macedonia in November of last year. Holding up the ball well, but with just the one off target shot to show for it.
Slowly but surely Portugal came back into the game when with 22 minutes on the clock the inevitable happen when the ball made its way to the former Chelsea player and current Ronaldo club team mate Joao Felix 20 yards out, he turned and shot with the ball taking a slight deflection off Ben Davies taking the ball past the out stretched Danny Ward. Portugal scoring the first of what Y Wal Goch feared could have been first of many goals.
The rest of the second half was all one way traffic. Portugal in complete control, but somehow not really troubling the Cymru goal, only having one other shot on target!
Just before the hour mark Portugal thought they doubled their lead when Ronaldo who had already wasted a few chances that you would have expected him to have put away, finally broke free. Running into the box and sliding the ball past Danny Ward. The Portuguese celebrations were brought to a shuddering halt when those three letters that somehow always lend an helping hand to Cymru came up on the big screen, VAR. The replays showed that he had broken the line a little early and was offside.
With 70 minutes gone the stats looked very one sided. Portugal with 63% possession, 17-1 shots and somehow just the 3 shots on target.
Cymru’s first real chance came in the 74th minute when Brennan Johnson broke free, staying onside managed to get a cross in from a very tight angle, the ball bounced off the bar back into the box where Cymru had a two to one advantage, but the ball bounced awkwardly between Lewis Koumas and Dan James and the shot was cleared off the line.
Cymru improved in the final ten minutes of the match with Kieffer Moore and Sorba Thomas coming off the bench, but just couldn’t get that equaliser.
Cymru with a depleted team managed to hold their own away against one of the top sides in the world. Many in Y Wal Goch feared a long night with Cymru’s goal difference taking an hammering. Hopefully they will positives from this game to Denmark on Sunday.