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The Welsh side secured a tight 1-0 win against international minnows Liechtenstein to keep alive their chances of World Cup finals progress.

Jordan James notched his first international strike for the national team from near the goal after Liechtenstein’s assorted collection of full-time players, amateurs and students had defended for the majority of the match. The scorer ran off in elation with his visible excitement shared by the 3,000 Welsh supporters occupying multiple stands of the stadium in Vaduz.

Soon afterwards, yet, Jordan James was shown a yellow card and another booking for Ethan Ampadu means the two players are suspended for the upcoming decisive game with North Macedonia due to suspension.

The home venue contest is a game Wales must win to move above North Macedonia and secure a more favourable seeding in the qualifying playoffs in March.

The Wales manager had an unfamiliar vantage point from the dugout, Bellamy undertaking a sideline suspension after receiving a further caution in the qualifiers last month.

Bellamy’s assistant Cremers stood in in the coaching zone and multiple first-teamers – James, Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Neco Williams – were one caution from from sitting out the concluding match. Both James and Ampadu were booked in situations that might hamper their team.

Their opponents, placed among the lowest-ranked in international football, had failed to score in their winless run and conceded twenty-three goals at an average of almost four per fixture.

Wales unsurprisingly dominated possession as Liechtenstein lay in a compact shape and defended in numbers.

Their opponent's target saw little action until the forward's high press caused a mistake and Jordan James saw his shot from the penalty area saved by Benjamin Büchel.

That pairing worked the next opening, James finding his teammate this time with a well-weighted ball behind the defence.

Broadhead’s superb first touch beat Büchel but the attacker could not convert from a narrow position.

Wales felt they broken the deadlock after the first half when James directed a deep Sorba Thomas set-piece back into a packed goal area.

The Liechtenstein keeper was flustered by Lawlor and Joe Rodon, and his feeble attempt landed with Nathan Broadhead who finished powerfully. But Wales' elation were halted when the match official was directed to the video review system and ruled that one or more of the Welsh defenders was in an illegal position from James’s header.

Wales raised the tempo after the break and Thomas delivered a ball to the far post which the winger hit the crossbar.

Williams then missed with a header from within the goal area as it appeared like a frustrating evening for the Welsh side.

However, with the contest having entered its second half, Williams delivered a shrewd pass for his teammate to get in behind the opposition backline.

Daniel James cut out the goalkeeper with a excellent ball across the face of goal, and his namesake Jordan James had the straightforward job of relieving Welsh tension.