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Wales claimed a tight 1-0 victory against international minnows Liechtenstein to sustain their hopes of World Cup finals qualifying.

Jordan James notched his first international strike for the national team from close range after the home side's mix of full-time players, amateurs and students had resisted for over an hour. James wheeled away in delight with his visible excitement shared by the large contingent of Wales supporters packed into multiple stands of the stadium in the capital.

Moments later, yet, Jordan James was cautioned and another yellow for Ethan Ampadu ensured both midfielders are ruled out for Tuesday’s decisive game with North Macedonia due to suspension.

That home venue fixture is a game Wales must win to overtake their rivals and obtain a more favourable position in the playoffs in March.

Craig Bellamy had an unusual perspective from the dugout, the Wales manager serving a sideline suspension after being shown a second yellow card in the tournament last month.

The manager's number two his assistant took his place in the dugout and several key players – Jordan James, Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Williams – were a booking away from being absent for the concluding match. Two of them received cautions in incidents that could really hurt their team.

Their opponents, situated near the bottom in global rankings, had been goalless in their previous six losses and let in twenty-three times at an rate of around four per game.

Wales unsurprisingly controlled the ball as their hosts employed a compact shape and defended in numbers.

The home goal remained unthreatened until Nathan Broadhead high press won possession and Jordan James saw his shot from the penalty area pushed aside by Büchel.

The same combination created another chance, James picking out Broadhead now with a accurate pass over the top.

The attacker's fine touch beat Büchel but the forward was unable to score from a narrow position.

Wales felt they taken the lead after the first half when Jordan James directed a deep Thomas corner back into a crowded six-yard box.

The Liechtenstein keeper was harassed by Dylan Lawlor and Joe Rodon, and his poor clearance reached Broadhead who scored decisively. But Wales' joy were cut short when the referee was instructed to the video review system and decided that a player of the Wales central defenders was in an offside position from James’s initial touch.

The visitors raised the tempo after the half-time and Thomas delivered a cross to the back post which the winger hit the crossbar.

Williams then missed with a header from inside the goal area as it began to look like a frustrating evening for Wales.

However, with the game having entered its 61st minute, Williams played a intelligent assist for Daniel James to break behind the Liechtenstein defenders.

James beat Büchel with a delightful ball into the danger area, and his teammate Jordan had the simple task of relieving Welsh nerves.