João Félix scored the only goal of the match as Portugal opened their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Wales at the José Alvalade Stadium on Wednesday.
The Portugal forward found the net in the 22nd minute with a low shot from the edge of the box that took a slight deflection off Wales captain Ben Davies before beating goalkeeper Danny Ward.
Portugal dominated possession and created numerous chances under new coach Jorge Jesus, outshooting Wales 19-4, but failed to convert further opportunities.
“We had 13 shots in the first half, that’s a lot,” Félix said. “I can’t recall them having a single clear-cut chance; we had several. You can expect this from us. We only scored one today but, if we carry on like this, we’ll score more.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, the focal point of Portugal’s attack, spurned several openings, including a close-range volley and a goal ruled out for offside. He was substituted after 67 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes praised the result. “We scored one, and we didn’t concede. That’s the big thing,” he told the BBC. “I think it was a very good game. We controlled it and had a lot of chances but were not capable of scoring more. We wanted the three points and got that.”
Wales came close to an equaliser late on when Brennan Johnson struck the crossbar, but Portugal held firm.
Wales midfielder Ethan Ampadu expressed disappointment. “We are disappointed with the goal,” he said. “It’s tough, and there were a couple of chances at the end where we could’ve got a goal, and that would have made it a better feeling, but it’s never nice to lose.”
