Crushing Blow in Euro 2024: Turkey's Victory Puts Wales' Qualification Hopes on Thin Ice

Despite suffering a second consecutive group defeat against Turkey, Rob Page remains optimistic about Wales' chances of automatically qualifying for Euro 2024 next summer. Following a disappointing 2-0 loss in Samsun, Wales now faces the challenge of bouncing back from their previous defeat by Armenia, where the 97th-ranked team secured a 4-2 victory in Cardiff.

Wales, having completed half of their eight-game campaign, currently trail leaders Turkey by five points and are two points behind Armenia, who still have a game in hand. In the group standings, Croatia, the favorites, are on par with Wales in terms of points, but have played two games less.

Manager Page has expressed his belief that Wales can secure one of the two automatic qualifying spots available in Group D, in addition to their play-off spot guaranteed through their Nations League ranking. Despite only recording one victory in the 12 games since Wales qualified for the World Cup last June, Page remains confident in his team's ability to achieve this.

"To do it, we need to get both sides of the game bang on and do it really well, if we are to be successful.

"It's been a frustrating camp but there have been so many lessons to learn from it.

"We will address it. We go into every game to win it. It just means it's really important we get wins at home and get as many points from them."

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Turkey's Salih Ozcan, left, vies for the ball with Wales' Aaron Ramsey

Wales faced a daunting challenge from the 41st minute onwards when midfielder Joe Morrell received a red card for a high tackle on Ferdi Kadioglu. This marked the second consecutive game in which Wales had a player sent off, following Kieffer Moore's dismissal against Armenia.

Turkey's relentless pressure paid off in the final 18 minutes when Umut Nayir and Arda Guler, both substitutes, found the back of the net. Prior to that, Danny Ward made a crucial save in the 64th minute, denying Hakan Calhanoglu's penalty after Aaron Ramsey had unintentionally handled Kadioglu's cross.

"Coming to Turkey is always a challenging experience, and we were well aware of that.

"However, despite the setback of a red card, I believed that we held our ground against the opposition and I was genuinely satisfied with our defensive display. This was an area we specifically focused on following our previous game on Friday."

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We successfully placed Aaron and other players in advantageous positions on the field, demonstrating our courage to play through them.

We analyzed the footage and identified a potential area to capitalize on, which was proving effective until the moment of the sending off. This event completely altered the dynamics of the game.

Until the 70th minute, we displayed solid defense in our own box, with only one cross leading to the goal that cost us.

"He [Morrell] is not intentionally doing it. He's got his eye on the ball, but when you put your foot that high, you run the risk of getting a red card.

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Wales have lost two of their last three games against Turkey in all competitions, both of which were away from home, having only lost one of their first five such encounters (W3 D1)

Joe is the most disheartened individual in the changing room, and he is fully aware of it. Turkey's manager, Stefan Kuntz, felt a sense of relief upon securing the victory, particularly considering that his team had two goals disallowed after undergoing VAR reviews.

"We should exercise patience before celebrating next time. Both our team and the fans have endured challenging times, and in the second half, we needed to maintain composure. Our focus was on controlling the game, and the support from the fans was greatly appreciated."

Wales qualification hopes drift into Black Sea

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Wales have now had a player sent off in successive games (Joe Morrell tonight and Kieffer Moore against Armenia)

Germany's automatic qualification is slipping away from Robert Page's grasp as Wales suffered consecutive defeats this June. Their recent form has been disappointing, with only one victory in their last 12 games across all competitions. Additionally, they have lost four out of their last five games on the road.

The weaknesses exposed in Monday's 2-0 loss to Turkey have been building up over the past couple of years, forcing the Welsh FA to question whether Page is the right person to address these issues. Turkey's Umut Nayir and Arda Güler both scored their debut goals as substitutes, putting Page in a difficult position, especially with Joe Morrell's controversial red card.

Wales experienced back-to-back games with a player being sent off, with Kieffer Moore being the latest against Armenia. This unfortunate timing adds to the challenge for Page, especially considering the expected transitional period following Gareth Bale's retirement and others. Once again, the team's defensive weaknesses were exposed by the 97th-ranked team in the world, and Page couldn't hide this fact. In a necessary move, Ben Cabango replaced Brennan Johnson, resulting in a defensive formation of five players. This tactical choice made it clear to their opponents that Wales' goal was to secure a draw. Despite Harry Wilson's free-kick offering a chance for an unexpected victory and Danny Ward's penalty-saving heroics, it was inevitable that Wales would face consequences in the end.

Former striker Rob Earnshaw expressed concern about Wales' performance in their recent match against Armenia. Earnshaw highlighted that the game was crucial due to Armenia's victory over Latvia, which added pressure on Wales. However, he stated that he did not observe a strong reaction from the Welsh team, which is a worrying aspect. Earnshaw believes that there is a lot for Wales to learn from this experience and describes it as a disappointing camp for the national team.

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Turkey have lost just one of their last 12 home competitive internationals (W6 D5), scoring 2+ goals in five of their last six such games

During my time on the team, following in the footsteps of Gary Speeds and Chris Colemans, we implemented various changes to enhance our performance. However, currently, I find it difficult to identify any notable improvements as our style of play remains largely unchanged, resulting in negative consequences.

Page urged his players to deliver a performance that would make the fans proud, but unfortunately, they failed to meet this expectation. The final score of 2-0 could have easily been 3-0 or even 4-0. Defensively, Wales appears extremely vulnerable and exposed.

There was no reaction to the Armenia debacle. Wales' Euro 2024 qualifying hopes are in serious peril. In Samsun, a historic port town on the Black Sea, those aspirations are sinking without a trace.