Wales must improve after suffering Romania defeat in 2026

Wales lost 2-1 to Romania in a friendly, extending their away winless streak since 2008.

Bellamy expresses frustration after loss Craig Bellamy, who has managed Wales since mid-2024, admitted his team must perform better following their 2-1 defeat to Romania in Bucharest. Florinel Coman and Adrian Rus scored either side of David Brooks’ 63rd-minute strike at Stadionul Steaua, giving Gheorghe Hagi his first victory as Romania’s manager since April. Bellamy openly expressed his dissatisfaction after Wales failed to win an away friendly since 2008. ## Coach highlights team shortcomings Bellamy described the match as disappointing, acknowledging some positive moments but stressing the negatives. He emphasized the need for improvement, stating that Wales did not create enough chances to reach the final third or consistently threaten the goal. "Disappointing," he remarked during the post-match press conference. "There were some good bits, but there were some negatives as well. We need to be better." Bellamy also criticized the team’s slow ball movement, saying it hindered their progress and left him disappointed. ## Wales dominated possession but lacked impact Despite controlling 57% of possession in Bucharest, Wales managed just nine shots on target. Players such as Ethan Ampadu, Brennan Johnson, and substitute Lewis Koumas missed key opportunities to score. The defeat extended Wales’ winless run in 2026 to four matches, with their last victory—a 7-1 thrashing of North Macedonia—coming in November. ## Brooks calls for major improvements David Brooks, the goalscorer for Wales, admitted his team was not good enough and vowed to do better. "We were not good enough, not at all," he told Match of the Day Wales. "We need to watch it back and try and take some positives out of it. We kept the ball quite nicely, but we lacked penetrating passes. We played in the wrong areas. We need to be miles better in the Nations League and in the next camp." ## Next challenge in Nations League Wales will face Portugal, Denmark, and Norway later in the year in Nations League A. Brooks stressed the urgency for the team to raise their performance significantly ahead of those fixtures. The defeat in Romania highlighted areas requiring immediate attention before their upcoming competitive matches.