Portugal defeat Wales in a match where Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a goal

Starting their new UEFA Nations League campaign, the Portugal national team defeated Wales in a hard-fought home match. The encounter at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon ended in a narrow victory for the hosts. According to reports from The Athletic, despite Wales facing personnel shortages and putting up a resilient fight, the Portuguese managed to secure all three points. This is reported by Goal.com .

The only goal that decided the match was scored in the 22nd minute of the first half. Nuno Mendes made a rapid run down the flank and provided the ball to João Félix, who was left unmarked outside the penalty area. João Félix struck a powerful shot with his right foot, and the ball took a sharp deflection off defender Ben Davies. As a result, goalkeeper Danny Ward was helpless, and the ball ended up in the net.

A frustrating night for Cristiano Ronaldo

Although the team won, the evening ended on a nervous and disappointing note for striker Cristiano Ronaldo. The experienced forward missed several favorable opportunities throughout the match, including a close-range chance in the first half.

In the 59th minute, Bruno Fernandes delivered a brilliant pass behind the defense. Cristiano Ronaldo sent the ball accurately into the bottom corner, thinking he had scored his 147th international goal and taken another step toward his 1,000th career goal. However, after reviewing the situation using the VAR system, the referees ruled that the striker was in an offside position, and the goal was disallowed.

Substitution and match overview

Following the frustrations and the disallowed goal, head coach Roberto Martínez substituted Cristiano Ronaldo in the 67th minute, bringing on Gonçalo Ramos. Thus, Ronaldo was unable to add to his tally of 979 goals.

Overall, the Portugal team held clear dominance throughout the match. The hosts registered 23 shots toward the opponent's goal and created two clear-cut scoring chances. Nevertheless, they lacked precision in finishing their attacks.

In turn, Wales acted with great discipline in defense. The defenders cleared the ball from the penalty area 15 times and made 52 recoveries. Goalkeeper Danny Ward made 4 important saves. Despite this, the Welsh were toothless in the attacking third — they managed only 5 shots during the match, with only 1 on target.