UEFA’s new Nations League schedule, voted for by the big nations who have huge squads at their disposal, meant Cymru had to play four League A matches in 11 days with a squad already seriously reduced by injuries. Craig Bellamy rightly criticised this new format (previously there had been three clusters of two games spread across September, October and November, now the six matches are compressed into just two international breaks), but the damage has been done and it will be some achievement if Cymru can avoid demotion to the B Leagues by winning one of the two remaining fixtures, away to Norway on November 14th and home to Portugal on November 17th. Once more, in football as in every aspect of life, the rich and the powerful have it their way.

Here are brief summaries of the four matches:
PORTUGAL 1 CYMRU 0: Cymru’s first meeting with Portugal since the gripping Euro semi-final in Lyon 10 years ago was only the fifth ever time the two sides have met – an infrequency entirely due to them never having been drawn together in a World Cup or a European Cup qualifying group. But UEFA’s newest tournament (the biennial Nations League started in 2018) has at last ended that anomaly, and Cymru could not have commenced the 5th edition against tougher opponents: Portugal have won two of the four Nations Leagues contested so far and are the current holders. This was the first time Cymru have played at Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, a 52,000 capacity ground that has been the national team’s primary venue since it opened in 2003. The four previous games were: a friendly in 1949 at Estádio Nacional, seven miles from the centre of Lisbon at Oeiras, which Portugal won 3-2; a friendly in 1951 at Ninian Park which Cymru won 2-1 in front of 60,000; a friendly won 3-0 by Portugal in 2000 at Estádio Municipal at Chaves in northern Portugal; and that 2016 2-0 win for Portugal in neutral France watched by 55,000 in Parc Olympique Lyonnaise plus millions on television. Unsurprisingly, with Cymru missing best defender Rodon and best attacker Wilson through injury, Portugal dominated. But Cymru battled hard and were by no means disgraced. Cristiano Ronaldo, now 41 years old and increasing his world record total of international appearances to an incredible 234, was of course the centre of attention before he was substituted in the second half, not having added to his record 146 international goals. Head-to-head against Portugal is now Played 5, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 4, Goals F4-A10.
DENMARK 2 CYMRU 0: The first of two games against Denmark in eight days went badly. In Copenhagen Cymru looked second best throughout. There was no lack of effort, but without midfield creativity or the slightest goal threat, it was a grim spectacle. Bellamy’s insistence that defenders must pass the ball out from the back grew increasingly ridiculous as the game wore on: the Danes harried the defenders into errors until the ball eventually had to be booted downfield anyhow and anywhere to stop giving away a gift goal, so what’s the point? Cymru are not Spain, Craig – how about old-school Route One tactics? Or is that not on-trend and formulaic enough?
CYMRU 2 NORWAY 1: Norway scored an early goal and just when I was thinking Cymru were going to lose all six games without scoring a single goal and was starting to tie a noose to the living room beam, two goals in 10 minutes either side of half-time by Dan James and Neco Williams gave Cymru a first ever League A win in the Nations League. It helped that Norway had a man sent off early in the second half, but the win was still fully deserved: the defence marshalled prolific Norwegian goal-machine Erling Haaland expertly and wing-back Sorba Thomas had his best game yet for Cymru. Head-to-head against Norway is now Played 12, Won 4, Drawn 4, Lost 4, Goals F17-A15.
CYMRU 0 DENMARK 1: Oh dear. Cymru looked drained, addled and uninspired, but goalie Danny Ward kept it at 0-0 with some great saves until he gave away a silly penalty in the 75th minute and that was that. It was all down to the foolishly cocky practice of shovelling the ball around between goalie and defenders in our own penalty area. Ward miskicked, tried to make amends and clattered into Isaksen. Hojlund slotted home the penalty. This was a fifth consecutive defeat by Denmark and the head-to-head now stands at Played 13, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 9, Goals F9-A19. Now I must dash, the noose needs oiling…