And for the first time in Craig Bellamy's Wales reign, they've beaten a side ranked higher than the Moose.

fantastic performance just what we what we've asked for um after I won't say after Portugal because I thought we played well in Portugal but after Sunday defeat at Denmark um outstanding uh yeah North Macedonia was a really really good night let's not forget they were 69th in the FIFA rankings Norway at 18th had a great World Cup you know knocked Brazil out in the quarter final um in the last 16.

Lost to England in the quarter-final.

Unlucky not to beat England.

They're a good side.

You know, won all eight games in qualifying, beat Italy twice.

Top scorers out of all the groups.

that could have sunk Wales, couldn't it?

Um, yeah, it's, uh, disappointing obviously, but, you know, it's reality I think as well.

Yeah.

I would agree with that.

Um, I, I think it's been an, an unkind few days with two tough away games.

Um, how the format of games have come out, where we have to go to Portugal, we have to go to Denmark, um, I don't quite know.

Um, but yeah, overall, we were beaten by a far better side.

Not me.

Set, set pieces.

I, I understand if you've not got the players, but if you've got the players to do it, then I think it's, uh, called for.

I, I agree with that.

I think when you look at games in the last couple of years, and when we've played sort of, not the lesser nations, but teams you would expect us to go out and beat quite comfortably.

When they sit quite deep and we find it hard to break them down.

I think we're better when we play against the bigger nations, where we don't get a lot of the ball, when we, we have to de- defend for, for long periods.

And as Nathan said, we have got then the individuals with pace to go and hurt them on the counterattack.

And w- we could have got something from that, from that game.

Mm.

It feels like there's a lot of optimism, which maybe there always is before a season, but it feels like particularly, maybe a bit more well-founded this time because of what they've done under Philip Price.

I think there is.

Maybe a bit more optimism, excitement.

With that, I think there comes a sense of expectation as well.

And I think rightly so after the way the team performed after Philippe Clay came in and transformed a club that was fighting for its life to a club that had the season been another month long, could have got into the top six, haven't lost anybody.

They've strengthened in areas that they needed to, obviously needed a left back, brought the young centre half in from Brazil.

You just look at the team now and through the sort of backbone, if you like, you've got some very, very good players.

You don't think it is?