Bellamy wants more from Wales after 1-0 loss to Portugal

Wales manager Craig Bellamy said he wants more after his side lost 1-0 to Portugal in Lisbon in their Nations League opener on 24 September 2026. "It was a difficult game for us. We had to suffer a lot," said Bellamy.

Joao Felix's deflected strike proved enough to give Portugal victory at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, while Cristiano Ronaldo had a goal ruled out by VAR and missed a big chance. The result was a winning start to the Nations League title defence for Portugal and for new manager Jorge Jesus, and Ronaldo earned his 234th cap in the match at the stadium where he began his professional career with Sporting in 2002.

Bellamy said his injury-hit Wales were under pressure for long spells but finished the game strongly, with Brennan Johnson and Lewis Koumas both going close to snatching a draw. Wales were missing Harry Wilson, Karl Darlow, Dylan Lawlor, Joe Rodon and Nathan Broadhead through injury.

Bellamy added: "We could have done more with the ball but I'm beyond proud as well." He also stressed the contributions of squad members who do not play regularly: "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."

Ronaldo missed a major chance, had a goal disallowed for offside that would have been his 980th top-flight goal, and was substituted midway through the second half. He could well line up against Wales again when Portugal play the return match in Cardiff in November.

Reflecting on the pre-match focus on Portugal's squad, Bellamy said: "If you looked at everything that was going on, it's a £1.4bn squad you're up against, [but] I felt quite calm. The players give me that." He added: "Ronaldo is one of the greatest players of all generations, not just this generation. You have to plan for him because he's beyond dangerous, even at his age. He's a superstar and I'd love to think I'd have the opportunity to be up against him again, but I don't know, maybe time is ticking."

Wales have a short turnaround to their second League A fixture against Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday (17:00 BST), and Bellamy said there is room to improve: "There's more for us, so that's something we always look at as a positive," he said. "How can we improve? How can we get better?"