Wales promotion ‘hasn’t sunk in’ for Bellamy after 4-1 Iceland win

Wales secured promotion to League A after beating Iceland 4–1 at home in their final Nations League group match after losing an early goal.

Their win, alongside a 3-1 defeat for Turkiye away to Montenegro, means Craig Bellamy's side sit one point top of their group.

“The feeling hasn't fully sunk in yet, but it was a really positive camp. Whatever the outcome of this match, it was just a positive camp,” Bellamy said after the match.

“I think we have been able to achieve the goals we set from the beginning.”

Wales started the day knowing they had to win and the results had to make their way into the top group, but were conceded a goal after seven minutes when Andri Gudjohnsen followed suit from a Danny Ward save.

It was the first goal Wales had conceded on their own field in 321 minutes and the first time they had gone behind under Bellamy, but they responded well. The hosts managed to control the remainder of the half, with Lewis Cullen scoring twice in the final fifteen minutes of the first period.

His team's determination to stick to the plan was something that pleased Bellamy immensely.

How good does that look? #UNL | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/vECo6gdXYP

— Wales (@Cymru) November 19, 2024

“There were one or two tests today where I think we were able to make progress [through]. If this had happened one or two games ago, we might not have succeeded.

“Where we are now, you go 1-0 down in the first few minutes and then you get a performance like that.

“And after that, when the crowd gets a little tense and tries to force things for us… No, no. We keep the ball because we think it will benefit us, and the players were able to do that.”

In the second half Wales were able to dominate with goals from Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson to make things more comfortable.

“I thought we controlled the pace of the game and if we can do that, we're a good team,” Bellamy said.

As for the promotion itself, the Wales manager couldn't emphasize enough the importance of being able to mix with the biggest teams in international football in Europe.

“Because where we want to be and where we want to go, it's huge. It's so important to us,” he said.