David Hancko (left) of Slovakia in action against Kieffer Moore of Wales Getty Images
Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales in Trnava, Slovakia

Wales suffered a demoralising friendly thrashing in Slovakia to intensify the pressure on manager Rob Page.

Page had been booed by Wales fans after Thursday’s humiliating goalless draw with Gibraltar and faced further chants in Trnava on Sunday calling for him to be sacked.

Wales' heaviest defeat for three years was an ignominious end to a disappointing season with failure to qualify for Euro 2024 having already prompted criticism of Page.

By contrast, Slovakia –19 places below Wales in the world rankings – enjoyed this final send-off before travelling to Germany to start their campaign against Belgium a week Monday.

The hosts had already had David Hancko's header ruled out when Juraj Kucka fired them in front shortly before half-time.

Robert Bozenik doubled Slovakia’s advantage with a near-post finish from Hancko’s cross after the break and, four minutes later, Wales’ captain for the night Ethan Ampadu deflected Lukas Haraslin’s acrobatic effort into his own net.

Laszlo Benes struck Slovakia's fourth in added time to prompt another wave of boos from Wales’ strong contingent of travelling supporters.

The flurry of second-half Slovakian goals had soured the atmosphere as Wales fans sarcastically chanted “in transition” in reference to Page’s appeals for patience as his team continue life without Gareth Bale and others from the recent golden generation who have retired.

However, fans have grown tired of Page’s talk of a “bigger picture” after a 12-month period that has seen an embarrassing home defeat by Armenia and a frustrating draw away to the same opponents that contributed to missing out on the European Championship for the first time since 2012.

Page’s stock has fallen considerably since becoming the first manager to lead Wales to a World Cup for 64 years and though Slovakia and Gibraltar were only friendlies, the nature of the performances will only invite further scrutiny.

Page's changes fail to inspire

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.

Getty Images

Wales managed just two shots on target against Slovakia

The defending was passive as Bozenik snuck past Ampadu to score Slovakia’s second and the Wales captain was unfortunate when his deflection made it three.

Wales’ fans had already made their feelings known at that point and, although they demonstrated some gallows humour at points, their boos after conceding a fourth were born out of pure anger.

The 1,000 or so members of the Red Wall cheered their players when they made their way over to their corner of the ground at the final whistle.

But when Page, who initially waited behind his squad, offered his applause to the supporters he was roundly booed. In case there was any doubt, Wales' fans have turned on their manager.

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