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Wales claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory against underdogs Liechtenstein to sustain their hopes of World Cup finals qualification.

Jordan James claimed his first international strike for the national team from inside the box after Liechtenstein’s group of full-time players, amateurs and part-timers had held out for more than 60 minutes. James wheeled away in delight with his visible excitement shared by the 3,000 Welsh fans occupying multiple stands of the stadium in Vaduz.

Soon afterwards, however, Jordan James was booked and a further yellow for Ethan Ampadu means the two players are suspended for Tuesday’s crucial match with their next opponents due to suspension.

That Cardiff City Stadium match is a encounter the Welsh team have to secure victory in to leapfrog their rivals and obtain a more favourable draw in the playoffs in March.

Bellamy had an different perspective from the sidelines, the head coach serving a technical area prohibition after being shown a further caution in the qualifiers earlier.

The manager's deputy Cremers assumed duties in the dugout and four of Wales’s starters – Jordan James, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Williams – were at risk of suspension from missing the final qualifier. Both James and Ampadu received cautions in incidents that may damage Wales.

Their opponents, placed among the lowest-ranked in world football, had not scored in their six qualifying defeats and conceded twenty-three goals at an rate of nearly four per match.

Wales as expected controlled the ball as Liechtenstein adopted a compact shape and got bodies behind the ball.

The home goal saw little action until Broadhead high press forced an error and Jordan James saw his effort from the edge of the box parried by the goalkeeper.

A similar move created another chance, James finding his teammate now with a precise delivery over the top.

Broadhead’s excellent touch evaded Büchel but the forward could not convert from a narrow position.

The Welsh team felt they scored the opener after 26 minutes when Jordan James headed a lofted Thomas set-piece back into a congested six-yard box.

The Liechtenstein keeper was under pressure by Dylan Lawlor and Joe Rodon, and his feeble attempt reached Broadhead who scored decisively. But Welsh joy were halted when the match official was instructed to the VAR screen and determined that a player of the Welsh central defenders was in an illegal position from James’s header.

The visitors stepped up a gear after the interval and Thomas delivered a ball to the back post which James struck the woodwork.

Neco Williams then missed with a header from within the goal area as it began to look like a difficult match for the Welsh side.

However, with the contest having entered its final half-hour, Williams played a clever assist for his teammate to break behind the opposition backline.

James cut out Büchel with a delightful ball along the six-yard box, and his teammate Jordan had the simple task of relieving Welsh tension.