Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Joao Felix Leads Portugal Past Wales in Nations League Opener
Portugal played Wales in their first Nations League match.
Joao Felix scored the only goal with a long-range shot.
His shot changed direction slightly after hitting Ben Davies.
Portugal had the ball more often and took many more shots than Wales.
Cristiano Ronaldo had several chances but did not score.
A goal by Ronaldo was canceled because he was offside.
Wales nearly scored when Brennan Johnson hit the crossbar.
Portugal held on to win 1-0.
Portugal's players said they were pleased to earn the three points, while Wales were disappointed.
Joao Felix scored in the 22nd minute to give Portugal a 1-0 home victory over Wales.
Portugal dominated possession and outshot Wales 19-4 in Lisbon.
Cristiano Ronaldo missed several chances and had a goal ruled offside before being substituted.
Wales nearly equalized when Brennan Johnson hit the crossbar and a rebound was cleared off the line.
The match was Jorge Jesus's first as Portugal coach and began their Nations League campaign with three points.
- Who
- Portugal and Wales, with Joao Felix scoring for Portugal.
- What
- Portugal defeated Wales 1-0 in a Nations League match.
- When
- At the start of Portugal's Nations League campaign; the article does not give a specific match date.
- Where
- Lisbon, Portugal.
- Why
- Portugal sought to begin its campaign with three points, while Wales tried to earn a result away from home.
Portugal's View
Wales' View
Assessment of the match
Portugal's View
Portugal said it controlled the game, created several chances and deserved the three points despite scoring only once.
Wales' View
Wales acknowledged Portugal's dominance but felt a late equalizer was possible and were disappointed by the narrow defeat.
Attacking performance
Portugal's View
Joao Felix said Portugal's 13 first-half shots showed the team was creating enough opportunities and could score more in future matches.
Wales' View
Wales focused on its limited but important chances, including the effort that struck the crossbar and the rebound cleared near the goal line.
- Result
- Portugal 1-0 Wales
- Goal scorer
- Joao Felix
- Goal time
- 22nd minute
- Shots
- Portugal 19, Wales 4
- Portugal coach
- Jorge Jesus, in his first match as coach
- Key Wales chance
- Brennan Johnson hit the face of the crossbar
- Ronaldo record
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 146 international goals, according to the article