Wales suffered a 3-1 defeat by Norway in Oslo, leaving Craig Bellamy’s side facing the prospect of relegation from the top tier of the Nations League.
Wales had the better of the first half and came close to taking the lead, with Daniel James going nearest on three occasions. Their performance changed after the interval, however, as Norway took control.
Antonio Nusa opened the scoring with a precise finish into the bottom-left corner, underlining why he is often described as the “Norwegian Neymar”. Substitute Andreas Schjelderup then doubled the hosts’ advantage by tapping in after receiving Erling Haaland’s pass.
David Brooks gave Wales renewed hope with a superb chipped finish, but the momentum did not last. Norway were awarded a penalty after Connor Roberts brought down Schjelderup in the area, and Haaland converted to restore the two-goal cushion.
The result means Wales can no longer finish above Norway, even if they defeat group leaders Portugal in their final match, because of their inferior head-to-head record.
What Wales need to avoid Nations League relegation
Wales are on three points, while the other bottom-placed teams in League A currently have none. They will avoid automatic relegation to League B if they are not among the two worst teams to finish bottom of the top tier.
“A reminder Wales have Portugal in their final group game on Tuesday,” Peter Smith said. “Even a win won’t be enough to get off bottom spot due to head-to-head records with Denmark and Norway.”
Smith added: “They will avoid automatic relegation to tier B, though, if they don’t finish as one of the two worst bottom-placed sides in tier A. A relegation play-off against a side from tier B would be the alternative.”
