Wales fight back to beat 10-man Norway for first win of the year
Wales beat 10-man Norway 2-1 at Cardiff City Stadium on 1 October to record their first win of the year. Neco Williams curled home the winner early in the second half after Daniel James had cancelled out Oscar Bobb's opener. The Guardian
The game was a league-phase fixture in the Nations League, UEFA's competition that groups national teams into divisions with promotion and relegation. Wales are in League A alongside Portugal, Norway and Denmark, and this was their first home game of the autumn run. UEFA
Norway struck first. Martin Ødegaard slipped a clever pass behind Ben Davies and Bobb finished it to quieten the home crowd. It was a sharp move. Wales had to respond.
They did before the break. Sorba Thomas drove a low cross into the six-yard box and James beat David Møller Wolfe to the ball to score. The winger timed his run perfectly. Cardiff roared again.
The turning point came early in the second half. James burst through towards goal and Torbjørn Heggem pulled him down. Heggem was shown a red card, which left Norway with ten men for the rest of the night.
Williams stepped up to the resulting free-kick. He curled it into the corner in the 54th minute to make it 2-1. The Guardian
Manager Craig Bellamy had rung the changes after Sunday's defeat in Denmark. Wales made five changes to the starting side, including a recall for Lewis Koumas. The hosts played the fixture in Cardiff as scheduled for the opening home double. FAW
Norway were disrupted too. Julian Ryerson lasted only 16 minutes before injury forced him off, with Marcus Pedersen coming on. Erling Haaland, the most feared scorer in world football, saw little of the ball. He managed only 11 first-half touches, the fewest of any player on the pitch.
Wales also called on Leicester's Liam Cullen, who joined the Foxes from Swansea in the summer. Fresh legs helped the hosts see out the final half-hour against tiring opponents.
For fans in Cardiff, this was the night the noise came back. A quick equaliser, a red card, then a curling winner. Ninety minutes that gave a whole crowd one moment to share.
