Craig Bellamy admitted it was hard work - and hard watching - but insisted it was mission accomplished for Wales after victory over Kazakhstan took them to the top of their World Cup qualification group.
Bellamy’s men showed resilience rather than brilliance - grinding out a tense 1-0 victory in Astana thanks to a single goal from Kieffer Moore.
The Wrexham striker, earning his 50th cap, struck in the 24th minute when he pounced from close range after Liam Cullen’s header from a Harry Wilson free-kick was parried.
The goal was Moore’s 15th for his country, putting him alongside the legendary John Charles in Wales’ all-time scoring charts.
“It was hard work and you could see that we knew it beforehand,” said Bellamy.
“Kazakhstan's a very difficult place to come, it has been for international teams and also British clubs. You could see why today, as well.
“Also being in September our rhythm was not quite there. You could see at times, whereas they are in the middle of their season.
“It's not excuses, it's just reality. One or two passes weren't as clean or crisp as we would like.
“We had to dig in. But you have to do that in qualifiers and we were able to do that.”
On paper, the contest looked straightforward.
Wales began the night ranked 83 places above Kazakhstan, whose FIFA position of 114 leaves them among Europe’s lowest-ranked sides.
Yet the hosts, backed by a boisterous Astana Arena crowd, grew in belief and came close to an equaliser more than once.
Karl Darlow tipped Galymzhan Kenzhebek’s curling strike onto the crossbar, while teenage forward Dastan Satpaev — bound for Chelsea next year — also tested the Wales goalkeeper.
In the dying seconds, Serikzhan Muzhikov’s free-kick clipped the top of the bar to set pulses racing before the final whistle.
But the result keeps Wales right in the hunt for automatic qualification from Group J, with North Macedonia and Belgium, who Wales host next month.
Had Wales dropped points in Kazakhstan, then Bellamy’s side would have been looking at needing to progress via the play-offs.
For that reason, the manger was fill of praise for his team’s stubborn refusal to yield under pressure, even if their own display was patchy.
“They have that mentality, I haven't given them that, and there's more,” he added.
“I'm completely understandable at where it is at this present moment. I knew it was going to be really hard.
“But we'll be better for this. We're a better team than what we showed consistently.
“There were some really good moments in the game. The start was really good, but it felt the rhythm as we went on wasn't what we've seen so far.”
Goalscorer Moore - who became the first Wrexham player to pull on a red shirt for Wales since 2008 - admitted: “We are massively relieved.
“It's safe to say we were on the back foot in the second half, but to get the three points, we needed that for the team and the campaign.
"I'm extremely proud, to mark this occasion (his 50th cap) with a goal and a win is something I'm proud of.
"I think this sets us up for the Belgium game, we all know what we have to do, and what's the outcome we need."
Despite their strong start, Wales faded and were forced to withstand heavy pressure.
The final whistle brought muted celebrations — relief rather than joy — but the outcome was what mattered most: three points and a temporary grip on first place in Group J.
Their position at the top may not last, with North Macedonia and Belgium still having games in hand, but the win keeps Wales’ hopes of automatic qualification alive.
Wales’ goal came in the 24th minute after a spell they had dominated through some sharp and incisive passing that had stretched the home defence.
But it was a set-piece that delivered the breakthrough after Harry Wilson had been fouled on the right-hand side.
Wilson took the free-kick himself, Liam Cullen flicked the ball on at the near post, and although Kazakhstan keeper Temirlan Anarbekov made the save, he could only push the ball out into the six-yard box.
Moore was the quickest to react to drill home his 15th goal for Wales, lifting him to joint 11th in the all-time standings, alongside John Charles.
The driving runs of Neco Willams and creativity of Wilson continued to cause problems for the hosts, but Wales were unable to create further clear-cut openings.
Instead, it was Kazakhstan who looked the more dangerous team for the rest of the half and they almost levelled when Galymzhan Kenzhebek curled an effort just inches wide of the far post.
Kenzhebek continued to cause Wales problems after the break, too, rattling the crossbar with one effort after a mistake by Williams and then drifting inside to drag a shot just wide.
Wales were living on borrowed time, it seemed, and were grateful for an excellent save from goalkeeper Karl Darlow to deny a thumping drive from Maksim Samordov.
Bellamy made a number of substitutions either side of the hour mark and the presence of Dan James, Jordan James, Mark Harris and David Brooks provided a little more energy.
But Wales continued to look vulnerable when the Kazakhs countered and were hanging on long before the end, their early dominance a distant memory.
