There was a comic-strip feel to another eventful evening in the world of Cristiano Ronaldo. Where to start? It was the 67th minute when his No 7 went up on the fourth official’s board, prompting Ronaldo to remove the captain’s armband from his left bicep before departing to a universal ovation, but for the pocket of Wales supporters. The referee, Donatas Rumsas, hurried him off the pitch but Ronaldo, his hair glazed copper, was presumably ruminating on a series of missed chances, a sitter from a few yards at the start of the second half, and a disallowed goal. The grandiose “Siu” celebration went to waste, though try telling that to the locals who worship him.
In the end, Portugal earned a narrow Nations League victory courtesy of another Al-Nassr forward, João Félix’s first-half strike from the edge of the box beating Danny Ward in the Wales goal. Nuno Mendes, among the Portugal players who passed up chances, moved infield and located João Félix, who 20 yards from goal sent a shot in via a nick off the Wales captain, Ben Davies. The Wales squad is thin and many of those who started here have been lightly raced of late but they could have snatched an equaliser when Brennan Johnson hit the crossbar and Rúben Dias desperately denied Lewis Koumas.
All eyes were on Ronaldo, back playing in Lisbon for the first time since last October, at the José Alvalade Stadium where he made his name as a teenager. The 41-year-old started, as Jorge Jesus promised he would, and despite Ronaldo talking of a new era, different tactics and even a different language, alluding to Jesus’s predecessor, Roberto Martínez, this all felt rather run of the mill. Rúben Neves, another player stationed in Saudi, replacing João Neves in Portugal’s three-man midfield was the only change from their World Cup last-16 exit to Spain in Dallas.
Jesus, who twice managed Benfica and spent three years here in charge of Sporting, knows all about Ronaldo, having spent last season coaching him at Al-Nassr and passionately defended the striker on the eve of this game, describing him as a symbol of Portugal. It is hard to disagree on that front. Ronaldo-mania is omnipresent in Lisbon, chiefly inside the official Portugal stores in downtown Praça da Figueira, where you can buy CR7-branded briefs, face masks, action figures, lanyards, Lego, replica Ballon d’Ors and even a Ronaldo box set celebrating his time at Sporting.
Craig Bellamy acknowledged Wales would have to suffer against a team boasting five Champions League winners, but began confidently. Bellamy does not have the same quality in his squad, with Harry Wilson, Wales’s best performer in recent years, and Karl Darlow, these days the undisputed No 1, among those absent through injury. A harmless Ben Cabango header was Wales’s sole effort at goal in the first half and while they did not trouble the goalkeeper Diogo Costa, Bellamy stressed the best way to flummox the hosts was by retaining possession.
It was not always that simple. Ronaldo passed up four decent chances in the first half alone, the best of which was from about 12 yards out and left him scuffing his boots in frustration. There was a free-kick flighted into the Wales wall. He should have done better when Bruno Fernandes presented him his first sight of goal amid huge cheers from the locals, but his touch was rusty and the ball bobbled off his left foot. He later volleyed wide from an awkward angle at the back post.
The chances kept coming for Ronaldo. Four minutes into the second half, he knelt on the turf behind the Wales goal-line, puffing his cheeks after somehow passing up the opportunity to double Portugal’s advantage. Rúben Neves put in a delicious cross from the right flank but Ronaldo, unmarked and alone with his thoughts in the six-yard box, shanked the ball over off his left shin. If that was a near-miss, then he had the ball in the net approaching the hour, but a VAR review showed Ronaldo was offside when accelerating beyond Cabango to meet another Fernandes pass.
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Wales were valiant and the substitute Kieffer Moore sliced wide a rare opening late on. Jay Dasilva was excellent at left-back. Davies, a Wales centurion, marshalled the defence on his second appearance of the season, his only minutes coming for Tottenham against a Charlton B team in the Carabao Cup. Ward’s sole appearance was in the same competition for Wrexham six weeks ago. Portugal should have extended their lead but Wales will take plenty of confidence from this slender defeat.
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