When Wales arranged this friendly earlier this year, they hoped it would form part of their preparations for this summer’s Euros – only to lose their play-off final to Poland on penalties in March.
Wales returned to action three days ago against Gibraltar in Portugal. It was expected to be a straightforward opportunity to field several debutants against lowly opposition they had beaten 4-0 only last October.
However, an embarrassing draw against a team largely comprised of part-time players – the first time Gibraltar had avoided defeat since 2022 – changed the mood in the Wales camp for this trip to Slovakia.
Page made seven changes from the Gibraltar debacle, reverting to a more familiar line-up in Trnava, though still missing senior players such as Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Connor Roberts, Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Aaron Ramsey.
With the entire first-choice defence missing, Ampadu moved from midfield to centre-back, where he excelled for Leeds United in the Championship this season.
The 23-year-old guided his less experienced defensive colleagues through the early stages of the game but Wales’ makeshift backline eventually started to creak, and they were fortunate not to fall behind when Hancko’s well-taken header was disallowed for offside.
At the other end of the pitch, the visitors had fleeting opportunities to counter-attack but were undone by sloppy passing and a strange reluctance to shoot.
They did create one clear chance before the break as Josh Sheehan’s inswinging free-kick was smartly headed towards the top corner by Kieffer Moore, only for Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to athletically tip the ball over the bar.
Just as Wales looked to be getting a grip, they fell behind when Kucka’s low shot left a seemingly unsighted Ward standing still as the ball passed him into the net.
It was an unfortunate ending to a first half in which Wales had shown signs of encouragement – but after the interval they simply sank without trace.
Image source, Getty Images
