Portugal ushered in the Jorge Jesus era with a narrow but dominant 1-0 win over Wales in the UEFA Nations League Group A4 opener at Estadio Jose Alvalade.
Jesus, who took over from Roberto Martinez after Portugal’s World Cup round-of-16 exit to Spain, became the third oldest coach to debut for Portugal at 71. And it was Joao Felix who gave him the perfect start.
How The Goal Happened
In the 22nd minute, Nuno Mendes drove inside from left-back and slipped a pass to Joao Felix at the edge of the box. Felix took one touch to control and rifled a low shot that took a slight deflection off Wales captain Ben Davies before skipping inside the far post past Danny Ward.
It was Felix’s 9th goal for Portugal and proved decisive on a night when Portugal dominated but couldn’t add to their tally.
The Ronaldo Moment
The talking point came on 59 minutes. Bruno Fernandes floated a cross from the left, Ronaldo rose and guided it past Ward. Alvalade erupted, but VAR intervened. Replays showed Ronaldo was half a yard offside.
Ronaldo had earlier missed a slew of chances, including a tap-in from four yards that he sent sailing over the bar. He was substituted after 67 minutes, having won his 234th cap. The 41-year-old now has gone 3 games without a goal for Portugal, his longest drought since 2021.
Wales Fightback
Craig Bellamy’s Wales were not outplayed entirely. Brennan Johnson, on as sub, chipped over Diogo Costa but hit the crossbar on 74 minutes. Moments later, Ruben Dias produced a match-winning block to deny Johnson from six yards.
Portugal had 23 shots to Wales’ five, underlining their dominance.
Lineups
Portugal (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Cancelo (Dalot 89′), Dias, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes (Tavares 79′); Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes (Joao Neves 90′), Bernardo Silva; Joao Felix, Ronaldo, Leao.
Wales (4-2-3-1): Ward; Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Neco Williams; Ampadu, Jordan James (Sorba Thomas 76′); Dan James, Wilson, Koumas (Moore 76′); Coady.
Player Ratings
Portugal:
Diogo Costa 7.0 – Rarely troubled but commanded his box well.
Joao Cancelo 7.0 – Solid defensively and linked well with Bernardo.
Ruben Dias 8.0 – Match-winning block and dominant in the air.
Antonio Silva 7.5 – Composed alongside Dias, excellent positioning.
Nuno Mendes 8.0 – Assist for the goal, constant threat down the left.
Vitinha 7.5 – Controlled the tempo, tidy in possession.
Bruno Fernandes 7.0 – Creative but wasteful at times.
Bernardo Silva 7.5 – Silky on the ball, linked play superbly.
Joao Felix 8.5 – Match-winner. Sharp, decisive, and took his goal brilliantly.
Cristiano Ronaldo 5.5 – Missed multiple chances and disallowed goal.
Rafael Leao 6.5 – Threatening runs but end product lacking.
Portugal now lead Group A4 with 3 points. Next: Portugal vs Norway in October.
