Bellamy concedes Wales had to ‘suffer a lot’ against Portugal

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Craig Bellamy admitted Wales had to “suffer a lot” against Portugal but hailed his injury-hit side’s resilience in their Nations League opener.

Wales began their Nations League campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Portugal, with Joao Felix’s deflected first-half strike proving the difference.

Cristiano Ronaldo also had a goal ruled out for offside after the break, while Wales finished the contest on top, hitting the woodwork late on through Brennan Johnson.

Despite that, Wales are without a win in their last five matches in all competitions (D3 L2), while they have lost five of their last 10 matches (W2 D3), one more than in their previous 25 outings (W11 D10 L4).

The 23 shots Wales faced against Portugal is their most in a single game since a Nations League match against Turkiye in November 2024 (25).

But Bellamy was impressed with how his team played despite being under pressure for long spells in the game.

“It was a difficult game for us. We had to suffer a lot,” said Bellamy.

“I think that’s the longest we’ve been in a game without the ball.

A performance to build on in Lisbon  pic.twitter.com/PXPRXm1yrP

— Wales  (@Cymru) September 25, 2026

“We could have done more with the ball, but I’m beyond proud as well.

“We have a lot of players who weren’t here. That’s OK; we can handle it.

“A lot of players who don’t play week in, week out. So, for them to use the energy they were able to, we’ve got to have a big heart to be able to do that. They’ve always shown that, and they showed that again.”

The loss leaves Wales bottom of Group A4 after the first matchday, with Norway and Denmark also drawn alongside them.

Wales are missing the likes of Harry Wilson, Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon, Dylan Lawlor and Nathan Broadhead through injury, and face a quick turnaround before facing Denmark away on Sunday.

Bellamy is determined to see an improved performance when they step out in Copenhagen.

“There’s more for us, so that’s something we always look at as a positive,” he added.

“How can we improve? How can we get better?”

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