Wales earned plaudits but Craig Bellamy wants more from his side, after admitting they were forced to suffer in their narrow 1-0 defeat in Portugal.
Joao Felix’s deflected strike proved enough to earn victory in Lisbon for the hosts, who also saw Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort ruled out by VAR.
It was a winning start to the Nations League title defence for Portugal and for new manager Jorge Jesus.
Despite being under pressure for long spells in Lisbon, Bellamy’s injury-hit side ended strongly as Brennan Johnson and Lewis Koumas both went close to snatching a draw.
“It was a difficult game for us. We had to suffer a lot,” said Bellamy.
“I think that’s the longest we’ve been in a game without the ball.
“We could have done more with the ball but I’m beyond proud as well.
“We have a lot of players who weren’t here. That’s OK, we can handle it.
“A lot of players who don’t play, week-in, week-out. So for them to use the energy they were able to, we’ve got to have a big heart to be able to do that. They’ve always shown that and they showed that again.”
