Banned Bellamy ‘calm’ as Wales claim unimpressive Liechtenstein win

World Cup qualifier: Wales v North Macedonia

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Tuesday 18 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT

There are few stadiums in the world with as picturesque a backdrop as Liechtenstein’s Rheinpark Stadion, a compact little ground in the shadow of the awe-inspiring, snow-flecked Alps on the banks of the river Rhine.

There are some striking vantage points for watching games in these parts too. In Vaduz Castle, perched on a mountain that towers over one of the stands, the Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II, might even be able to catch a glimpse of a match if he was to squint hard enough.

When Wales visited for a World Cup qualifier on Saturday, head coach Craig Bellamy had to watch from a new position – up in a gantry on the opposite side of the stadium to his coaching staff – because he was suspended.

He would not have liked what he saw.

Wales made hard work of their 1-0 win over a Liechtenstein team ranked 206th in the world and predominantly comprised of part-time players.

In as much as the result kept Wales on track to finish second in their group and secure a home play-off semi-final in March, it was a case of job done.

But there was no hiding the fact that this was an uninspiring performance. Plenty of possession, precious little creativity or quality in front of goal.

Bellamy’s ban meant he could not communicate with his coaches or players during the game, nor could he conduct his media duties before or after the match.

So it was left to his assistant coach Piet Cremers to lead the team and tell the gathered media in Vaduz how Bellamy had viewed proceedings.

“I didn’t see him during the game. He was calm and composed, like I know him, after the game,” said Cremers.

“It’s that’s that type of game where everyone expects you to win 5-0, 6-0 or 7-0. As a coaching staff and players, we demand a good performance as well.

“When you don’t get that second or third goal, it becomes a little bit more tricky. The players start wanting to force things a little bit more.

That next game is an important one.

Wales need to beat North Macedonia in Cardiff to finish second in Group J and guarantee a home play-off semi-final.

Fail to win at Cardiff City Stadium and Bellamy’s side will still make the play-offs thanks to their Nations League success, but they will be away for their semi-final.

They will need to improve on their performance in Liechtenstein and they will be without Ethan Ampadu and Jordan James – captain and goalscorer respectively in Vaduz – who are suspended after receiving their second yellow cards of the campaign on Saturday.

At least Wales will be travelling home after a win, though.

Before beating Liechtenstein, they had lost three games in succession and four of their previous five.

The performance in Vaduz will not have impressed many people, but the result keeps them in contention to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.

“One game at the time, we knew we had to take care of today. We did that, and now our focus goes to North Macedonia,” said Cremers.

“I thought we played really well over there [the 1-1 draw in March], creating some really good opportunities.