In a buzzing atmosphere at Cardiff City Stadium, Wales registered their first-ever victory in the top tier of the Nations League on October 1st. Craig Bellamy’s side secured a 2-1 win over a wasteful Norway team down to ten men in the second half. Ahead of another clash with Denmark on Sunday evening, the signs are looking bright.
One could have easily assumed Wales’ latest campaign in Nations League A would mirror their 2022/23 run, when the Red and Whites finished bottom of their group without a single victory. But that would be to underestimate the resilience of the Dragons, who delivered a clinical performance on Thursday night to edge past a Norway side left to rue their missed chances.
The match had started sluggishly for Bellamy’s men. Dominated for the opening half-hour, the Welsh fell behind as early as the 11th minute following a sublime pass from Martin Ødegaard to young Oscar Bobb, who made no mistake in beating Danny Ward. The Manchester City winger’s strike underlined Norway’s deadly efficiency in front of goal, having now found the net in 23 of their last 25 matches.
Deprived of their injured top scorer Harry Wilson, Wales relied heavily on their wingers to destabilize the Norwegian defense. The tactic ultimately paid off in the final quarter of an hour of the first half: Sorba Thomas, played through on the left flank, delivered a pinpoint cross into the penalty area for Daniel James. The Leeds man threw himself at the ball to sweep it home, bringing the sides level just before the break.
A costly blunder for Norway
Right out of the break, with less than 20 seconds played, Bologna’s Norwegian defender Torbjørn Heggem misjudged Daniel James ghosting in behind him and underhit his backpass to the keeper. Forced into a foul to deny the Leeds winger—who was red-hot on the night—a clear run on goal, he left match official Alejandro Hernández with no choice but to brandish a straight red card. Before Norway could even process going a man down, Neco Williams stepped up to the free-kick and stunned the Scandinavians with a masterclass strike into the bottom right corner past Nyland.
That 48th-minute strike opened up the game, forcing a much more attacking approach from Norway than in the early stages. Despite some dangerous late efforts—including a shot from Larsen that grazed the post and nearly silenced the Cardiff City Stadium—the scoreline remained unchanged.
First win of 2026
To find the Dragon’s last international victory, one had to go back to December 2025 and a 7-1 thrashing of North Macedonia. Since then, the Welsh national team had endured a dismal run of results, starting with their World Cup playoff heartbreak against Bosnia : a cruel defeat in a penalty shootout that had actually begun so promisingly with a Karl Darlow save.
In any case, this victory offers a glimmer of hope moving forward in an open Nations League Group 4 and confirms the Dragons’ strong form on home soil. Speaking to BBC Match of the Day Wales after the final whistle, Wales manager Craig Bellamy admitted: « We worked hard to get into Nations League A, and we know teams at this level are packed with top-quality players, but we still have to be ourselves. It was enjoyable and satisfying. »
Attention now turns to the final match of the international break for the Welsh on Sunday evening at 7:45 pm against Denmark. Bellamy’s men will be eager to get their revenge on the Danes following their defeat in Copenhagen two weeks earlier.
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