Neco Williams free-kick gives Wales 2-1 comeback win over Norway

Wales recovered from an early deficit to beat Norway 2-1 at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, earning their first victory of the 2026-27 Nations League campaign. Neco Williams scored the decisive free-kick in the 48th minute after Daniel James had equalised before half-time, according to FotMob’s match record and report.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRIJR_04QRQ

The result ended a difficult opening to Group A4 for Craig Bellamy’s team. Wales had lost 1-0 to Portugal and 2-0 to Denmark in their first two matches, so the win brought both their first goals and their first points of the campaign. Norway arrived with a 3-2 victory over Denmark and a 2-1 defeat by Portugal behind them, but left Cardiff with a second successive loss.

Oscar Bobb put the visitors ahead in the 11th minute after combining with Martin Odegaard and getting past Ben Davies to beat Danny Ward. Norway then had to replace Julian Ryerson through injury, with Marcus Pedersen coming on. FotMob reported that Sorba Thomas found opportunities against the replacement and supplied the ball across the six-yard area for James to score in the 38th minute.

The game turned immediately after the interval when Torbjorn Heggem brought down James and was dismissed for denying a clear scoring chance. Williams converted the resulting set piece, beating Orjan Nyland with a shot into the bottom corner. Nyland subsequently saved from Lewis Koumas to keep the deficit at one, while Erling Haaland failed to put a header on target at the other end.

Norway replaced goalscorer Bobb with Leo Ostigard in the 49th minute and later introduced Jorgen Strand Larsen and Antonio Nusa. Wales also used their bench, bringing on Josh Sheehan, Joel Colwill, Brennan Johnson and Mark Harris during the closing stages. FotMob’s match statistics recorded equal possession and 12 shots for each side, despite Norway playing almost the entire second half with 10 men.

The victory was also Wales’ first in seven matches across all competitions in 2026, FotMob reported. James’ equaliser continued a notable Cardiff scoring record: 10 of his 11 international goals have come at the stadium, including his last six. His contribution also extended to winning the free-kick that Williams turned into the match-winning goal.