IQN (NewsDesk): Portugal made a winning start to the defence of their UEFA Nations League title on Thursday night, edging past Wales 1-0 at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon in a match that turned into a frustrating evening for Cristiano Ronaldo despite his side taking all three points.
The only goal of the game came in the 22nd minute, when João Félix found the net to put the hosts ahead, a lead they would go on to defend for the remainder of the match despite sustained pressure from a determined Wales side managed by Craig Bellamy. Portugal dominated large spells of possession and created a string of further chances, but a combination of composed Welsh defending and a string of fine saves from goalkeeper Danny Ward kept the scoreline at a single goal.
Ronaldo, playing what was billed as the start of a new era for the Portuguese national team following the appointment of manager Jorge Jesus, endured a mixed night individually. The 41 year old forward saw a goal ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee for offside and fired several efforts on target without finding the breakthrough, before being substituted in the second half as Jesus opted to freshen up his attacking options with Gonçalo Ramos introduced from the bench.
Wales, who missed out on qualification for the World Cup, showed spells of promise going forward, with Brennan Johnson and David Brooks combining to create half chances, but ultimately could not find a way past a well organised Portuguese defence marshalled by Rúben Dias.
The victory gives Portugal an ideal opening to their Group A4 campaign as they look to retain the Nations League crown they currently hold, while Wales will look to regroup ahead of their next fixture in search of their first points of the new campaign.
