Wales earned their first home victory under Craig Bellamy by beating Montenegro 1-0 in a drizzly Cardiff.
A subdued first forty-five minutes comprised of Wales having nearly three-quarters of possession and the visitors having no shots on target from little-to-no attacking threat.
Despite that, the breakthrough only came from a penalty, which was won and converted by Harry Wilson.
A quieter second period saw the visitors grow into the game a tad more, but could not fully imprint themselves on the match. Wales could not garner a second goal either but will be content with staying resolute after letting a lead slip to Iceland.
In League B Group 4 of the UEFA Nations League, Wales are second on eight points and Montenegro are bottom after losing all four games so far.
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Story of the Match
There were a slew of Welsh changes from the draw to Iceland, with Liam Cullen, Mark Harris, Wes Burns, Josh Sheehan, David Brooks and Ben Cabango all receiving their first starts under Bellamy.
Montenegro made two alterations from their 1-0 loss to Türkiye with Stefan Mugoša and Marko Janković in for Stevan Jovetić and Edvin Kuč.
In the rather sedate early stages, Wales struggled to get any real rhythm on the ball as the new additions felt their way into the game.
The opening moment of note came on twelve minutes as Harry Wilson whipped in a dipping cross from the right, which Burns met at the far post but could only head wide from close range.
Soon afterwards, Neco Williams - playing on the right-hand side instead of the usual Connor Roberts - slotted through Wilson into the penalty box. The Fulham forward's weak-footed shot was soundly saved by Igor Nikić.
Wilson was again the beating heart of Wales' creativity as he dropped deep, picked up the ball on the halfway line and lofted a lovely pass into the area for Cullen, who could only lift it over the crossbar.
In a muted first half-hour, Montenegro were at risk of becoming all but silent, offering little in counter attacks as they did in the reverse fixture and fortunate that the changed up Welsh forward line was still finding its footing.
This changed on half-an-hour as David Brooks drifted centrally and sparked a strong shot that was palmed out by Nikić. The resulting short corner saw Wilson dribble into the area before being brought down by Vladimir Jovović, though there was minimal contact. Referee Filip Glova took a few seconds before awarding a penalty.
The main man of the first half, Wilson, coolly side-footed home the spot kick to put the hosts in front.
Five minutes later, the 27-year-old dragged a long-ranged effort just shy of the post as his final act of another impressive half in the new system. Overall, Wales were not quite clicking enough up top to make their possession dominance count.
At the break, Robert Prosinečki chose to make four changes, including bringing on record scorer Jovetic, to aid The Brave Falcons' attacking woes.
Montenegro grow after the interval
And there was certainly more impetus injected into the away side after the interval. Again, it took a while for any decent chances, though next fell to Montenegro.
Andrija Radulović, one of the four substitutes, cut in onto his left foot to bend in a wonderful effort that rattled the bar.
There was a slight resemblance of the Iceland second half, with Wales allowing their opponents to get on the ball more and flex their forward talent.
Bellamy was not particularly stressed about needing to have a stronger second half after the Dragons' limp display after the break on Friday night, but there was soon some more positive play to address the Montenegrin fightback.
Joe Allen also returned in Welsh red on the hour mark to a huge ovation at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Some good work from Cullen saw the Swansea City forward drop into the middle to collect the ball and slot in Burns, who freed himself of Marko Vukčević and drew in a low cross. However, a mass jumble on the six-yard line meant the build-up came to nothing.
Sorba Thomas and Williams had respective half chances sought to seal the result up - something they had yet to do under Bellamy.
Another moment of confusion cost a potential second of the evening. Williams chipped in a pinpoint cross to Nathan Broadhead, but the Ipswich Town winger struggled to gain proper control of the ball, eventually losing after being swarmed on by the recovering back four.
With ten minutes to go, Montenegro reminded the home side of their slender lead. Nikola Krstović arching down his body to make a dangerous header fly just over.
Though this was the last threatening move Prosinečki's side made as Wales saw out the match with their narrow lead intact.
What comes next for Wales
To round off 2024, Wales will visit Türkiye next month and host Iceland as Montenegro will do the reverse.
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Player of the Match - Harry Wilson
Wilson has looked a player renewed under Bellamy, thriving in a central role that places a major creative onus on him and is repaying the trust he is given as a vital piece of the jigsaw.
There were impressive performances from Williams - another rubberstamping his name on Bellamy's team sheet - and Cullen, but Wilson's directness in the first half gave Wales the cutting edge they required in a game which had minimal clear chances.
Though it was a soft penalty, it was ultimately a deserved goal for his night's work.
