Joao Felix hit the only goal as Nations League holders Portugal got off to a narrow winning start against Wales.
The former Atletico Madrid man lashed in a low shot with the aid of a deflection to put Portugal ahead in Jorge Jesus’ first game in charge since replacing Roberto Martinez.
Left-back Nuno Mendes did well to find space behind Ethan Ampadu and pulled the ball back for Felix, whose shot hit Wales captain Ben Davies and span into the net.
Cristiano Ronaldo thought he had doubled the lead when he beat Danny Ward – but he was offside and the goal was ruled out by VAR.
And Wales came close to nicking a point late on when Everton forward Brennan Johnson hit the crossbar.
Craig Bellamy will be pleased with his side’s second-half display which was promising ahead of a trip to Denmark on Sunday.
As ever, all eyes had been on the 41-year-old Ronaldo leading up to kickoff following his decision to prolong his Seleção career. However, the veteran endured a frustrating evening in front of goal.
After Rúben Neves and Rúben Dias both failed to convert earlier chances, Ronaldo squandered a golden opportunity moments after the restart, blazing a volley off target from just six yards out. He thought he had doubled the lead just before the hour mark when poking past Ward, only for a VAR review to rule the strike out for offside.
That profligacy kept Craig Bellamy’s side alive, and Wales almost punished the hosts 15 minutes from time. Johnson saw an ambitious, looping effort bounce back off the crossbar before Liverpool youngster Lewis Koumas looked certain to turn in the rebound. Manchester City defender Dias came to Portugal’s rescue, throwing himself in the way with a vital goal-line block.
The hosts weathered a late flurry of Welsh pressure to secure maximum points and hand new manager Jesus a winning start to his tenure, while extending Wales’ winless run to five matches in 2026.
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