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The Welsh side earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory against international minnows Liechtenstein to maintain their hopes of World Cup qualification.

The young midfielder notched his first goal for Wales from inside the box after the home side's mix of full-time players, office workers and part-timers had held out for over an hour. The scorer ran off in elation with his visible excitement shared by the large contingent of Wales followers filling multiple stands of the Rheinpark Stadion in the capital.

Soon afterwards, however, Jordan James was shown a yellow card and another booking for Ethan Ampadu ensured the pair are suspended for the upcoming decisive game with their next opponents due to accumulated bookings.

The Cardiff City Stadium contest is a game the Welsh team have to secure victory in to move above their rivals and guarantee a better position in the final round in March.

The Wales manager had an unfamiliar perspective from the sidelines, the head coach serving a touchline ban after receiving a further caution in the competition earlier.

Bellamy’s deputy his assistant stood in in the technical area and four of Wales’s starters – Jordan James, Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Williams – were one caution from from being absent for the concluding match. Both James and Ampadu came unstuck in moments that might hamper their team.

Liechtenstein, placed among the lowest-ranked in international football, had not scored in their winless run and allowed 23 times at an average of almost four per match.

Wales predictably controlled the ball as Liechtenstein adopted a low defensive block and defended in numbers.

Their opponent's target remained unthreatened until Nathan Broadhead chasing down won possession and James saw his attempt from the 18-yard line saved by Benjamin Büchel.

The same combination worked the next opening, Jordan locating his teammate now with a accurate ball over the top.

Broadhead’s excellent control beat Büchel but the attacker failed to finish from a difficult angle.

Wales believed they'd broken the deadlock after the opening period when Jordan James headed a deep Thomas set-piece back into a crowded penalty box.

The Liechtenstein keeper was under pressure by Lawlor and Joe Rodon, and his feeble attempt landed with Broadhead who drove home emphatically. But Welsh celebrations were cut short when the match official was directed to the VAR screen and ruled that a player of the Wales defenders was in an illegal position from James’s header.

The visitors raised the tempo after the break and Sorba Thomas provided a centering pass to the opposite side which the winger hit the crossbar.

Neco Williams then missed with a header from inside the penalty box as it started to seem like one of those nights for Wales.

Yet, with the match having entered its second half, Neco Williams played a shrewd pass for Daniel James to get in behind the home defence.

Daniel James cut out Büchel with a superb ball across the face of goal, and his namesake Jordan had the straightforward opportunity of easing Welsh nerves.