Sports
João Félix goal gives Portugal 1-0 win over Wales in Lisbon
September 24, 2026 at 09:26 PM · Updated 22d ago
Coverage
7 reports · 3 in Arabic, 4 in English · over 6 hours
Portugal edged Wales 1-0 in their Nations League opener, with João Félix's first-half strike settling a match dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Lisbon.
- João Félix fired Portugal ahead from the edge of the box, his shot deflecting off Wales captain Ben Davies past goalkeeper Danny Ward.
- Cristiano Ronaldo started in Lisbon for the first time since last October, missed several chances, and had a second-half goal disallowed for offside before being substituted in the 67th minute.
- Wales nearly equalized when Brennan Johnson struck the crossbar and Rúben Dias blocked Lewis Koumas's effort.
- Craig Bellamy said Wales would have to suffer against Portugal, a team featuring five Champions League winners, and stressed retaining possession was the way to disrupt the hosts.
- Portugal outshot Wales 19-4 but squandered a string of chances in the Nations League opener.
- Portugal sit second in Group 4 with three points after Norway beat Denmark 3-2.
- Cristiano Ronaldo earned his 234th international cap against Wales in Lisbon on the night.
- Wales were missing several key players through injury, which limited their attacking options throughout the match.
- João Félix scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute of the Nations League opener in Lisbon.
- Ronaldo finished with the lowest match rating (5.8) and an expected-goals tally of 1.32, having taken seven shots.
- The 1-0 victory marked Jorge Jesus's first match in charge of Portugal as head coach.





