Wales' Jordan James scores Wales to vital World Cup qualifying win versus Liechtenstein.
The Welsh side secured a narrow 1-0 victory against underdogs Liechtenstein to keep alive their hopes of World Cup finals progress.
The young midfielder notched his debut goal for the national team from inside the box after the home side's group of full-time players, amateurs and students had held out for over an hour. The scorer celebrated in joy with his clear emotion shared by the three thousand Welsh supporters packed into multiple stands of the venue in Vaduz.
Moments later, yet, Jordan James was cautioned and a further booking for his midfield partner resulted in both midfielders are suspended for Tuesday’s crucial match with North Macedonia due to disciplinary issues.
The Wales' ground fixture is a clash Wales must win to leapfrog their rivals and secure a more favourable seeding in the qualifying playoffs in March.
Bellamy had an unfamiliar perspective from the stands, Bellamy undertaking a technical area prohibition after receiving a further caution in the qualifiers earlier.
The manager's deputy Cremers stood in in the coaching zone and multiple first-teamers – Jordan James, Ethan Ampadu, Rodon, Williams – were a booking away from sitting out the final qualifier. Two of them came unstuck in incidents that could really hurt their team.
The home side, situated 206 out of 210 teams in global rankings, had been goalless in their six qualifying defeats and allowed 23 goals at an average of almost four per fixture.
The visitors predictably dominated possession as their hosts employed a low defensive block and packed their defence.
Their opponent's target remained unthreatened until Nathan Broadhead high press won possession and Jordan James saw his shot from the edge of the box saved by Benjamin Büchel.
That pairing created another chance, James locating Broadhead now with a precise delivery behind the defence.
Broadhead’s excellent touch beat the keeper but the Wrexham striker could not convert from a narrow position.
Wales believed they'd broken the deadlock after the first half when Jordan James nodded a high Sorba Thomas set-piece back into a packed goal area.
The Liechtenstein keeper was harassed by Dylan Lawlor and Rodon, and his weak punch fell to Nathan Broadhead who finished powerfully. But Wales' celebrations were cut short when the official was instructed to the pitchside monitor and determined that at least one of the Wales defenders was in an offside position from James’s initial touch.
The visitors stepped up a gear after the interval and Sorba Thomas sent in a ball to the far post which the winger rattled against the woodwork.
Williams then missed with a header from inside the penalty box as it appeared like one of those nights for the Welsh side.
But, with the match having reached its second half, Neco Williams executed a clever pass for Daniel James to get in behind the opposition backline.
Daniel James cut out the goalkeeper with a excellent pass across the face of goal, and his namesake Jordan had the simple job of relieving Wales' nerves.