Wales suffer defeat on the Algarve

Wales 0 Poland 1 : A piece of Brazilian magic sent Wales to defeat in Portugal despite an encouraging performance against a …

Wales 0 Poland 1: A piece of Brazilian magic sent Wales to defeat in Portugal despite an encouraging performance against a side ranked 37 places above of them by Fifa.

Sao Paulo-born Roger Guerreiro, given Polish citizenship in April 2008 to allow him to play in the European Championships, saw a delightful angled chip sail over substitute goalkeeper Boaz Myhill with 10 minutes left.

The Hull stopper was only a couple of yards off his line, but he could not stop the effort finding the top corner. Wales had hit the bar through Joe Ledley and produced a decent performance, and did not deserve to lose.

It was one of the more unusual venues for a Wales match. In the eastern corner of the Algarve, on the banks of the Rio Guadiana — the border with Spain — and in an athletics stadium overlooked by a lighthouse.

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The crowd consisted of a few hundred hardy souls from both countries, for a match that was a warm-up for World Cup games next month.