Despite suffering a second consecutive group defeat in Turkey, Rob Page remains confident that Wales can still secure automatic qualification for Euro 2024 next summer. Following their disappointing 2-0 loss in Samsun, Wales had previously experienced a shocking performance against Armenia, where the opponents, ranked 97th in the world, claimed a 4-2 victory in Cardiff.
Wales finds themselves at the midpoint of their eight-game campaign, trailing leaders Turkey by five points and falling two points short of Armenia, who still have a game in hand. Croatia, the favored team in the group, shares an equal number of points with Wales, despite playing two fewer games.
Manager Page remains confident that Wales can secure one of the two automatic qualifying spots in Group D, despite their current standing and recent performance.
"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
In the 41st minute, Wales faced a daunting challenge when midfielder Joe Morrell was shown a red card for a high tackle on Ferdi Kadioglu. This marked the second consecutive game in which Wales received a red card, following Kieffer Moore's dismissal against Armenia.
In the 64th minute, Hakan Calhanoglu took a penalty kick that was impressively saved by Danny Ward, following Aaron Ramsey's unintentional handball when defending against Kadioglu's cross. However, Turkey's relentless pressure paid off in the end with Umut Nayir and Arda Guler, who came on as substitutes, finding the back of the net in the last 18 minutes of the game.
"Despite the challenging nature of playing in Turkey, we were well-prepared for the encounter. Before the red card incident, I believed we were on par with our opponents and I was particularly satisfied with our defensive performance. This improvement was a direct response to our previous match on Friday."
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We managed to place Aaron and other players in advantageous positions up the field and displayed courage in playing through them, showing commendable ball control.
"We carefully analyzed the footage and identified a specific area where we saw an opportunity to capitalize, and it was proving successful until the unfortunate moment of the sending off, which completely altered the dynamics of the game.
"Until the 70th minute, our defensive efforts were commendable as we effectively guarded our own box, allowing only one cross to penetrate, but unfortunately, it resulted in conceding the first goal."
"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)
Turkey manager Stefan Kuntz felt a sense of relief after clinching the victory, particularly because his team had two goals disallowed after being reviewed by VAR.
"We may have to exercise more patience before celebrating next time. It has been a challenging period for both us and the fans, and in the second half, we needed to maintain a sense of composure. Our objective was to control the game, and the support from the fans proved to be invaluable."
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)
Wales' hopes of qualifying for Germany are slipping away under the leadership of Robert Page. Following consecutive defeats in June, their record now stands at just one win in their past 12 games across all competitions. Additionally, they have suffered four losses in their last five away matches.
The weaknesses exposed during Monday's 2-0 loss to Turkey have been developing for a couple of years, prompting the Welsh FA to assess whether Page is the appropriate person to address these issues. Umut Nayir and Arda Güler, both substitutes, scored their inaugural goals for Turkey, leaving Page with limited options after Joe Morrell's controversial red card.
Wales experienced back-to-back red cards in their recent matches, with Kieffer Moore being sent off against Armenia. This unfortunate timing adds to the challenges faced by manager Page, who has been unable to address the team's defensive weaknesses exposed by the 97th-ranked team in the world last Friday.
Due to circumstances, Ben Cabango was brought in to replace Brennan Johnson, resulting in a defensive formation with five players. This defensive approach signaled that Wales' main objective was to secure a draw. Although Harry Wilson's free-kick presented a chance for an unexpected victory and Danny Ward's penalty heroics, it ultimately felt inevitable that they would face consequences.
Former forward Rob Earnshaw expressed his thoughts on the match, emphasizing the importance of the victory as Armenia had defeated Latvia, adding pressure on Wales. However, Earnshaw admitted that he did not witness a strong reaction from the Welsh team, which is concerning. This lack of response leaves them with valuable lessons to learn from, making this particular Wales camp a challenging one.
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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 in the team, we underwent several changes in order to improve, following in the footsteps of great figures like Gary Speeds and Chris Colemans. However, at present, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to identify any progress or development in our game, as we continue to face consequences for our striking similarities.
Page urged his players to deliver a performance that would make the fans proud, but unfortunately, they fell short of expectations. The final score of 2-0 could have easily been 3-0 or even 4-0. Defensively, Wales appears to be alarmingly 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.
