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The Welsh side claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over underdogs Liechtenstein to maintain their hopes of World Cup finals progress.

Wales' James notched his maiden international strike for Wales from close range after Liechtenstein’s group of full-time players, office workers and students had defended for over an hour. The scorer celebrated in delight with his visible excitement echoed by the 3,000 Wales followers filling three sides of the venue in Vaduz.

Shortly after, yet, James was shown a yellow card and a further booking for his midfield partner resulted in the two players are suspended for Tuesday’s crucial match with their next opponents through accumulated bookings.

That home venue match is a clash the Welsh team have to secure victory in to leapfrog their rivals and obtain a better position in the qualifying playoffs in next spring.

Craig Bellamy had an unusual vantage point from the stands, the head coach completing a technical area prohibition after being shown a additional booking in the qualifiers earlier.

The manager's number two Cremers took his place in the technical area and several key players – Jordan James, Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Neco Williams – were at risk of suspension from being absent for the concluding match. A pair received cautions in situations that could really hurt their team.

The home side, placed near the bottom in international football, had not scored in their winless run and conceded 23 goals at an rate of nearly four per match.

Wales predictably dominated possession as Liechtenstein employed a low defensive block and defended in numbers.

The home goal saw little action until Broadhead chasing down won possession and James saw his shot from the edge of the box parried by Benjamin Büchel.

A similar move crafted an opportunity, James locating his teammate this time with a precise delivery over the top.

The attacker's superb first touch beat Büchel but the forward failed to finish from a narrow position.

The Welsh team believed they'd taken the lead after the opening period when James directed a deep Sorba Thomas corner back into a congested penalty box.

Büchel was harassed by Dylan Lawlor and Rodon, and his weak punch landed with Broadhead who finished powerfully. But Wales' celebrations were curtailed when the referee was directed to the VAR screen and determined that at least one of the Welsh centre-halves was in an illegal position from Jordan's header.

Wales stepped up a gear after the break and Thomas delivered a cross to the back post which Daniel James hit the crossbar.

Williams then directed his header off target from within the goal area as it started to seem like a difficult match for the Welsh side.

Yet, with the game having ticked into its 61st minute, Williams executed a clever through ball for Daniel James to run past the Liechtenstein defenders.

James beat Büchel with a excellent cross into the danger area, and his namesake Jordan James had the simple job of relieving Wales' tension.