Wales suffered a 3-1 defeat to Norway in Oslo despite a spirited performance, as the threat of relegation to the second tier of the Nations League now looms over Craig Bellamy’s side.
Wales looked the better side in the first half and had chances to take the lead, most notably through Daniel James on three occasions, before they unravelled after half-time.
Antonio Nusa showed why he is often referred to as the Norwegian Neymar as he broke the deadlock with his fine strike into the bottom left corner before substitute Andreas Schjelderup tapped home Erling Haaland’s pass to give the hosts a commanding lead.
David Brooks’ sublime chipped finish sparked hopes of a comeback but Haaland’s penalty, after Connor Roberts pushed Schjelderup down in the box, punctured the late momentum they had gathered.
Wales can no longer finish above Norway due to their inferior head-to-head record, even if they beat leaders Portugal, but can avoid automatic relegation if they are not one of the two worst teams to finish bottom in tier A.
What next for Wales?
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:
“A reminder Wales have Portugal in their final group game on Tuesday.
“Even a win won’t be enough to get off bottom spot due to head-to-head records with Denmark and Norway.
“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.
“Wales are on three points, with the other bottom sides in tier A currently on 0 points.
“A relegation play-off against a side from tier B would be the alternative.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
