Upsetting the odds might be said to have been Bellamy's modus operandi throughout his playing career, so the 47-year-old will, at the very least, have had his squad fired up and believing in the possibilities before taking to the field at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Joao Felix's goal the difference
That much was obvious in the early stages of the match, as the visitors withstood some pressure from the hosts before having a chance or two themselves, one of which was so close to going in that the silence inside the stadium was deafening in that moment.
Cristiano Ronaldo, looking for his 980th professional goal, had already seen two chances come and go in the opening 15 minutes, and his frustration at not hitting the target was immediately evident.
When Joao Felix's daisy cutter found the corner of the net past the outstretched palms of Welsh keeper Danny Ward, it was already Portugal's ninth effort at goal, and the alarm bells would've been ringing.
However, to Wales' credit, they weren't overawed by the occasion or cowed by their opponents.
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Superb passages of play from Wales
In Ben Davies (91.9% completion) and Ethan Ampadu (90.9%), they had two of the best passers on the pitch, and as the visitors began putting together some superb passages of play, Portugal were reduced to taking pot shots.
Another five efforts before half-time, including three more from Ronaldo, certainly gave the impression that the hosts were on top, but almost all of their attempts were either blocked or off target.
The battle for supremacy in midfield became the story of the match for long periods, as the physicality from the likes of Ampadu, Josh Sheehan and Neco Williams overshadowed the silky passing skills of Vitinha, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves.
Indeed, Williams won five of his eight one-on-ones, Brennan Johnson was successful in four of his seven; Sheehan was another who attempted seven duels, with David Brooks (eight) and Lewis Koumas (10) also heavily involved in this regard.
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Ronaldo out of luck
Aerially, it was a different story, with only Ben Cabango and Kieffer Moore winning 100% of their duels (two each).
Renato Veiga, who had been a colossus at the back for Portugal, winning four of his five headed duels and completing 95.9% of his passes - the second-most of any player on the pitch - had the final effort of an exciting opening 45 minutes.
Ronaldo somehow opened the second half by putting his shot over the bar, despite being unmarked in the Welsh six-yard area, though he would soon celebrate a goal... or so he thought, VAR ruling it out for offside.
Ward deserves credit for his performance on the night, making four saves across the 90 minutes and commanding his area well. His 63 total touches were only one less than Neco Williams, with Ben Davies being the only other Welsh player to have more on the night (79).
No impact from Dan James
Daniel James came on just after the hour mark to inject some pace into the visitors' attack; however, he did little of note in the half hour or so he had on the pitch. Just nine touches of the ball and six passes attempted won't have pleased his manager.
Brennan Johnson's shot against the woodwork and Koumas' follow-up being cleared off the line was symptomatic of Wales' luck on the night.
Though the stats will show that by the end of the game Portugal had 23 shots to Wales' five, there was enough in the manner in which the visitors approached the game for Bellamy to be enthused about.
For example, of those 23 attempts, Portugal managed to get just five on target, which speaks of a decent enough defensive performance from the Welsh back four.
Furthermore, Wales were never going to play their opponents off the pitch in terms of a passing game, so being able to stay in the game and be competitive would've been part of the pre-match focus.
That the visitors could've come away with a point if Lady Luck had been on their side shouldn't be overlooked, and depending on how their other matches go in the meantime, the final group game in November against the Portuguese might well end up being a decider.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
