In the video: Ronaldo squanders a goal fest, and Felix saves Jesus's face against Wales

An unconvincing win, but the most important thing was achieved

Jorge Jesus began his reign as Portugal coach with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Wales in the 2026-2027 UEFA Nations League.

Joao Felix played the hero at the "Jose Alvalade" stadium in Lisbon. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, served up a festival of squandered chances.

Felix's rocket saves the day

Portugal piled on the attacking pressure from the very first minute, hunting an early goal to upset Wales' calculations.

Ronaldo almost opened the scoring in the 9th minute after a silky pass from Joao Felix, but the captain's shot flashed just wide of the post.

That dominance finally told in the 21st minute, with a goal bearing a Saudi imprint. Nuno Mendes brilliantly won the ball off the Wales defence and slipped it to Joao Felix, the Al-Nassr striker unleashing a powerful, unstoppable shot into the net to announce the first goal of the Jesus era.

Ronaldo then chased the 980th goal of his legendary career, only to spurn three clear chances before the break. A set piece and two openings inside the box came and went, to the astonishment of the fans in the stands.

His misses kept coming until the final minutes. He never did reach 980 before the referee blew for a lacklustre but precious Portugal win.

The three points hand Portugal top spot in their Nations League group for now, pending the rest of the round's fixtures. Wales came away empty-handed despite a strong second half.