After a 0-0 draw in their first game against hosts France, Wales were given an early scare at the Stade Parsemain in Fos-su-Mer as Abdulaziz Almansoori smashed an effort against the bar after seven minutes. Everton's Nathan Broadhead went close on a couple of occasions before Hasan Alkarrani became the second Bahrani to be denied by the woodwork before half-time.
The chances dried up in the second-half but the decisive moment came with four minutes to play as Swansea City's James' run into the box was ended by Hamad Alshamsan. He was shown a second yellow card and James picked himself to slot home the crucial spot kick.
Brentford defender Chris Mepham was an unused substitute for yesterday's game as Wales set up a winner-take-all match against group leaders Ivory Coast on Monday as they look to join Ellery Balcombe and England in the semi-finals.