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The Welsh side claimed a tight 1-0 success against underdogs Liechtenstein to sustain their hopes of World Cup finals progress.

Wales' James claimed his debut international strike for Wales from near the goal after Liechtenstein’s mix of professionals, amateurs and part-timers had resisted for the majority of the match. The scorer celebrated in joy with his obvious relief shared by the three thousand Wales fans occupying multiple stands of the venue in the capital.

Soon afterwards, yet, James was booked and another yellow for Ethan Ampadu means both midfielders are unavailable for the upcoming crucial match with North Macedonia through accumulated bookings.

The Cardiff City Stadium fixture is a clash the Welsh team must win to leapfrog North Macedonia and secure a better seeding in the playoffs in next spring.

Bellamy had an unfamiliar perspective from the dugout, the head coach serving a sideline suspension after being shown a further caution in the tournament last month.

Bellamy’s assistant his assistant took his place in the dugout and four of Wales’s starters – Jordan James, Ampadu, Rodon, Neco Williams – were one caution from from missing the last group game. A pair received cautions in incidents that could really hurt Wales.

The home side, ranked near the bottom in global rankings, had been goalless in their previous six losses and conceded twenty-three times at an average of almost four per game.

The visitors predictably had most of the play as Liechtenstein adopted a compact shape and got bodies behind the ball.

Their opponent's target was rarely tested until Broadhead chasing down won possession and James saw his effort from the penalty area parried by the goalkeeper.

The same combination created another chance, James finding Broadhead now with a accurate pass into space.

Broadhead’s fine first touch took him past Büchel but the Wrexham striker could not convert from a narrow position.

Wales felt they broken the deadlock after the opening period when Jordan James nodded a lofted Sorba Thomas set-piece back into a congested penalty box.

The Liechtenstein keeper was harassed by Lawlor and Joe Rodon, and his feeble attempt fell to Nathan Broadhead who finished powerfully. But Wales' joy were halted when the official was instructed to the video review system and ruled that at least one of the Welsh defenders was in an offside position from James’s initial touch.

The visitors increased the pressure after the break and Sorba Thomas sent in a cross to the far post which Daniel James rattled against the woodwork.

Williams then missed with a header from within the six-yard box as it appeared like a frustrating evening for the Welsh side.

But, with the match having ticked into its 61st minute, Neco Williams delivered a intelligent pass for his teammate to break behind the opposition backline.

James beat the goalkeeper with a excellent ball across the face of goal, and his namesake Jordan had the easy task of relieving Welsh tension.