Key events
68 mins: Luque Notaro goes into the book for Liechtenstein for a foul on Dasilva in what is a very Brazilian sounding collision.
66 mins: For Liechtenstein, Zund is replaced by teenage defender Jonas Weissenhofer, who plays for Austrian side Hohenems.
64 mins: Triple change for Wales, with Lewis Koumas, Rubin Colwill and David Brooks coming on for Harris, Broadhead and Dan James.
62 mins: Jordan James is booked! Ah, now this is a shame. Presumably still fired up from his first Wales goal, James needlessly clatters Nico Hasler and is booked. That means he’ll miss the big game against North Macedonia on Tuesday.
GOAL! Liechtenstein 0-1 Wales (Jordan James 60′)
Finally, Wales make the breakthrough! It had been coming, but is created by a lovely pass from Williams, carving through the home defence for Dan James to cross the ball for namesake Jordan to smash it into the net from a yard out.
57 mins: Wales go very close again, those inswinging crosses towards the far post causing Liechtenstein a lot of problems. This time it’s Jordan James who swings it in for Neco Williams, whose header bounces across goal, but beyond the far post.
55 mins: Dan James hits the post! After Jay Dasilva works his way into the box, Sorba Thomas swings a delivery across the face of goal, where Dan James crashes his shot off the base of the far post!
54 mins: Thomas sends in a low cross of his own, and then another dipping ball that causes more uncertainty in the home defence. Wales building up a head of steam again here …
53 mins: The hosts actually leaving their own half might benefit Wales, as there is some finally some space in behind. Dan James makes the most of it, zipping a low cross that just evades Broadhead at the far post.
52 mins: Liechtenstein have a chance to break, but Rodon does well to muscle Notaro off the ball.
50 mins: Sele goes over after a sidestep from Williams, but hurls himself headfirst – in the Phil Jones style – to bring the Wales man down. The free kick doesn’t come to much …
49 mins: A scrappy start to the second half, summed up as Williams’ attempted through ball to Dan James runs away for a goal kick.
“Congratulations to Alan Pugh for doing the double landlocked double,” says Peter Oh, who was a close second. “I’m jealous – I’ve been to Liechtenstein but not Uzbekistan.”
Second half
A change for the hosts, with Ferhat Saglam replacing Dennis Salinovic up front. No changes for Wales yet.
Alan Pugh is first to answer my quiz question, all the more impressive as he’s in Vaduz tonight. “It’s Uzbekistan. Passed though on our way home from the qualifier in Kazakhstan. We Wales fans get about.”
Elsewhere, Spain are all but guaranteed their place at the 2026 World Cup; they lead 3-0 in Georgia with goals from Oyarzabal, Zubimendi and Ferran Torres. Turkey, three points behind in Group E, lead Bulgaria 1-0 but Spain have a 14-goal lead in terms of goal difference.
In Group H, Austria lead 1-0 in Cyprus thanks to Marko Arnautovic’s penalty; they could qualify tonight if Bosnia & Herzegovina fail to beat Romania at home later on.
Pop quiz: Liechtenstein is one of two doubly landlocked countries in the world. What’s the other one? Hint: they have qualified for next summer’s World Cup. Don’t just Google it, there’s no prizes.
Half time: Liechtenstein 0-0 Wales
A few boos from the away fans, perhaps aimed at the VAR decision to rule out Nathan Broadhead’s goal. Wales have played well and dominated the game – but as long as it stays goalless, their frustration will build.
47 mins: Liechtenstein have the chance to launch a long throw into the area, but Nico Hasler takes so long waiting for a centre-back to get upfield, he’s booked for time wasting! When he does throw the ball, it’s headed away by the first man.
45 mins: Darlow gets what may be his first touch in open play, clearing away Salanovic’s pass away with Luque Notaro threatening to close down. Three minutes of stoppage time …
44 mins: Thomas’ cross is blocked by Nico Hasler, the Liechtenstein captain, and ricochets back off him for a goal kick.
43 mins: Jordan James has a shot from the edge of the area, but Buchel is firmly behind it.
42 mins: Good save from Buchel, getting down well to turn Harris’ shot behind after good work from Broadhead in the buildup. He then gets a hand to Thomas’ corner to clear the danger.
39 mins: Another chance slips away from Broadhead, as Jordan James’ cross misses Mark Harris’ head but rebounds off Buchel – but the Wrexham forward just can’t sort his feet out in time to turn the ball home. Zund now needs to head off for treatment, which is a concern for the home manager, Konrad Fünfstück.
37 mins: Buchel doesn’t look the most composed at set pieces, and he gets away with flapping at Dasilva’s corner. Ampadu then goes down after a clash of heads with Salanovic, the Liechtenstein forward’s first real involvement in the game.
34 mins: Dan James sets up Williams, whose cross from the right is headed clear by Malin – but only as far as Ampadu, who shifts on to his left foot but sends his shot from 20 yards high and wide.
32 mins: Zünd, who plays his football for Swiss third-tier side Meyrin – is penalised for a crunching challenge on Dan James. Thomas swings in the free kick, but the home defence stands firm.
31 mins: At the other end, another dangerous Thomas delivery just spins away from Broadhead before he can get a shot away.
30 mins: The hosts, buoyed by that VAR reprieve, think they’ve won a corner – but the offside flag goes up.
29 mins: A shot from Liechtenstein! It’s Emanuel Zünd from a good 30 yards, with a shot that’s always bending away from goal.
No goal! Hmm. Thomas’ corner was headed across goal by Jordan James, and three Wales players challenged the keeper, whose punch fell for Broadhead to score on the rebound. But it’s been ruled out for offside when James headed the ball, although the TV pictures we saw were entirely inconclusive.
Goal? It looks like Wales have the breakthrough, Nathan Broadhead stabbing the ball home from a well-worked corner. But the referee is being summoned to the dreaded pitchside monitor …
23 mins: Another decent chance as Thomas’ low cross from the left has Wales forwards throwing out their legs in vain as the ball zips through the penalty area. The pressure is building …
21 mins: Eek! Wales should be ahead here. Jordan James picks out Broadhead, whose first touch sets him up one-on-one with Buchel. He goes around the keeper but tries to lift the ball into the net – and skews it over the bar. He’s got to score there, hasn’t he?
“Like always, I defer to Matt Dony’s superior knowledge about, well, everything, but especially Bellamy and Wales,” writes Simon McMahon. “I do know he could play as well, and scored one of the best hat tricks I’ve ever seen, at Tannadice, about 20 years ago.”
18 mins: Before I can see if that Liechtenstein home shirt is on sale anywhere, Wales get their first shot on target. Broadhead makes space with a nice shimmying run and Jordan James tests Buchel with a shot that’s parried behind.
16 mins: Dasilva plays a through ball to Sorba Thomas, who is a fraction offside. A couple of very nice kits on show here, by the way – I like Liechtenstein’s simple blue with red shorts and big crown badge, while Wales are in a custard yellow with red and green trim.
15 mins: James whips a first-time cross in towards Harris but it’s cleared from a corner, which is dealt with by the home defence.
13 mins: Wales are playing at a very brisk tempo early on here, trying to pull Liechtenstein’s back nine out of shape. Ampadu attempts a through ball that is clattered away from danger.
12 mins: “Shooooot!” is the cry from the massed Welsh fans as Broadhead runs on to a loose ball – but he takes a touch outside the area, and his shot is closed down.
10 mins: Ampadu, the captain for tonight, is pulling the strings at the base of midfield. He finds Thomas on the left, whose cross is thudded clear before Dan James is flagged offside.
8 mins: It’s pretty much set up as attack v defence already, with Wales showing plenty of early intent, getting their wingers forward to support Harris and Broadhead – who sound a bit like a Cardiff estate agents.
6 mins: Dan James controls a long ball with his right and crosses with his left; Mark Harris flicks it on smartly and Nico Hasler has to clear behind with Sorba Thomas lurking at the far post.
4 mins: Buchel is called upon again, getting a hand to Harris’ chipped cross after a nice through ball from Neco Williams.
2 mins: A first quarter-chance for Wales as Sorba Thomas sweeps a cross towards Harris – but Buchel is off his line to claim it.
Peep!
Here we go, then.
As Alan just mentioned, there are far more Wales fans than Liechtenstein ultras in the compact Rheinpark Stadion tonight. There are a few boos for the hosts’ national anthem – although it probably doesn’t help that it’s the same tune as God Save the King.
“Evening from Vaduz,” writes Alun Pugh. “Sweet Caroline being played by a tone deaf DJ, and being booed from three sides on the ground. Quite right too.” Reclaim it, I say – Sweet Caroline is for everyone (who’s had two to three pints).
Four of Wales’ starters risk missing the North Macedonia game with a booking tonight – Neco Williams, Joe Rodon, Jordan James and Ethan Ampadu.
Piet Cremers talks to BBC Sport: “Consistency, habit – against these kind of teams, that’s really important. Can we be the best version of ourselves? As long as we can, we should put on a good performance.”
On Johnson and Brooks starting on the bench, he says: “They [Liechtenstein] are going to sit deep, they concede more goals in the second half, so we want players on the bench who can come on and make an impact.”
“I’ve said it before, but I was absolutely not behind the appointment of Bellamy,” writes Matt Dony. “At the time, I was gutted that Osian Roberts didn’t want the job. But I was very, very wrong. Bellamy has been brilliant; a huge improvement tactically over Page, the players all seem to love him, he’s handled the media well, I couldn’t have hoped for any more.
“Unfortunately, he’s got the weakest Welsh squad of the last 15 years or so. That’s no one’s fault, it’s just the way it goes. National teams for small countries will have natural ebbs and flows. Two wins to finish this group would definitely count as ending on a high. I’d take that all day. And then, the playoffs will be what the playoffs will be. No point stressing over that yet. Task in hand, one game at a time and all those other cliches …”
Wales have a few high-profile absentees, with Ben Davies, Ben Cabango, Aaron Ramsey and Kieffer Moore all out due to injury, while Harry Wilson is suspended. Brennan Johnson and David Brooks are on the bench, with Oxford’s Mark Harris and Wrexham’s Nathan Broadhead potentially starting as a front two.
Some pre-game thoughts from Craig Bellamy, taken from Friday’s press conference.
We need to win two games. Liechtenstein, we expect to win and I’m not going to shy away from that. North Macedonia is a different game, [but] they’re games I believe we will have a lot of possession in, and we have to be able to create chances from having that. If we finish second [in the group] we could avoid a couple of top teams at their grounds [in the playoffs], and that’s a motivation for us.
Team news
Liechtenstein (3-5-2): Buchel; Meier, Malin, Göppel; Nicolas Hasler (c), Luchinger, Alessio Hasler, Sele, Zünd; Notaro, Salanovic.
Subs: Foser, Justin Ospelt, Schlegel, Weissenhofer, Oberwaditzer, Saglam, Kranz, Luca Beck, Fabio Wolfinger, Sandro Wolfinger, Pizzi.
Wales (4-4-2): Darlow; Williams, Rodon, Lawlor, Dasilva; Thomas, Jordan James, Ampadu (c), Daniel James; Broadhead, Harris.
Subs: King, Adam Davies, Norrington-Davies, Brooks, Rubin Colwill, Koumas, Cullen, Johnson, Isaak Davies, Kpakio, Joel Colwill, Sheehan.
Referee: Juxhin Xhaja (Albania)
Craig Bellamy missed Wales’ last trip to Liechtenstein in 2009 as a player after being booked for dissent. This time, the head coach has made it to Vaduz, but is banned from the touchline after being, yep, booked for dissent during last month’s defeat to Belgium.
Bellamy’s assistant, Piet Cremers, will be in the dugout while his boss watches from the stands. The 31-year-old Dutchman has some impressive behind-the-scenes experience, having worked as a chief analyst for Manchester City and assistant manager under Vincent Kompany at Burnley.
“I might enjoy it more, being upstairs where I can see the game from new viewpoints,” says Bellamy (not to mention those exceptional mountain views). “So it’s going to be a little bit different, but the work’s done, we’ve gone through the scenarios.”
Preamble
A strange bit of scheduling means that the Welsh football and rugby union teams are playing at the same time today – and while the rugger boys are under pressure to get a result against Japan in Cardiff, the stakes feel a little lower for Craig Bellamy’s men in this quiet corner of the Alps.
Belgium have missed the chance to seal top spot in Group J after a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan, but their final game is at home to Liechtenstein, so Wales’ realistic target is second in the group. Three points against the group’s bottom side tonight would set up a final showdown at home to North Macedonia on Tuesday, with the winner securing a playoff spot.
If Wales can win by six goals tonight, they would only need a draw on Tuesday to finish second in the group – but even if they fall short, their Nations League performance offers a back door into the playoffs. Entry through the front door would be preferable, as it offers a seeded place in the draw for March’s scrap for the final World Cup spots.
While many of Europe’s minnows have improved in recent years, Liechtenstein are not one of them; their only home win since 2018 came last year, in a friendly against Hong Kong. Failing to beat the side ranked 206th in the world wouldn’t end Welsh hopes, but would be a significant blow to their burgeoning belief. Kick-off is at 5pm GMT.
