Euro 2024 Qualifier: Turkey 2-0 Wales - As it happened & reaction

1. Use the play icon at the top of the page to listen to live radio commentary.
2. Turkey top Group D with nine points - Wales fourth
3. Wales' Joe Morrell sent off in first half
4. Umit Nayor headed hosts ahead before teenager Arda Guler's stunner
5. That was after Danny Ward saved a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty
6. Chris Mepham also saw his early own goal ruled out by VAR

KICK-OFF

Italian referee Fabio Maresca blows his whistle and it's Wales captain Aaron Ramsey who takes kick off.

We're under way!

Thoughts on the Wales team?

Thumbs up or down?

BBC Sport

'Go put right the wrongs of Friday' - Page

Robert Page tells S4C: "We want a performance, we fell short of that Friday and got punished for it.

"Go put right the wrongs of Friday, give the supporters something to be proud of and a level of performance we know we are capable of doing.

"We know we want the feeling of what we had after Croatia, after Latvia not what we had on Friday, that would be my message to the players."

Getty Images

Philip Marsh

BBC Sport Wales at Samsun Yeni 19 Mayis Stadyumu

Huge Turkish banners are unveiled in the crowd as the players come out onto the pitch.

As the music quietens - finally - the travelled Red Wall of Welsh fans respond with a chant of their own which does not go down well with the home crowd.

Some atmosphere here in Samsun.

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Stat attack

Want some more stats?

• Wales have won four of their previous seven meetings with Turkey (D1 L2), winning the most recent game 2-0 in Baku at Euro 2020.

• Turkey lost 2-0 at home against Croatia in their first home European Championship qualifier of this campaign - they haven't lost consecutive home qualifiers within the same campaign since losing to Poland, England and the Republic of Ireland in Euro 1992 qualifying.

• Wales' 4-2 defeat by Armenia last time out was the first time in 49 qualifying matches (including play-offs) they conceded four goals or more in a game since losing 6-1 against Serbia in 2012.
• Including play-off matches, Wales have only failed to score in one of their past 18 qualifiers for the World Cup and European Championship, doing so in a goalless draw at home against Estonia in September 2021.
• Cengiz Under has been involved in 14 goals in his past 16 appearances for Turkey, scoring seven and assisting seven.
• Brennan Johnson has been involved in four goals in his past six starts for Wales (two goals, two assists), setting up Dan James' opener against Armenia last time out.

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The players are out on the pitch. Time for the anthems.

Not long now.

Philip Marsh

BBC Sport Wales at Samsun Yeni 19 Mayis Stadyumu

It is already pitch black outside the stadium here in Samsum, with local time in Turkey fast approaching 22:00.

It will not be far off midnight when the final whistle is blown, a late night for all involved.

The lateness has not had an impact on the atmosphere however, as what appears to be the same three Turkish songs blast around the arena on repeat.

Not sure the DJ has any control of the volume too, much longer in the top tier of the stadium underneath these blaring speakers and everyone's ears will be ringing all evening.

Page defends his record

Robert Page has seen that particular stat too - but wants to try and defend his record.

Stats make grim reading for Wales

If Wales are going to repeat that result from 2021, they'll need a massive improvement on their recent form.

The stats do not make for pleasant reading for Robert Page and his players.

BBC Sport

'We have to stick together' - Ramsey

Manager Robert Page and captain Aaron Ramsey underline the areas in which Wales must improve against Turkey.

Euro 2024 qualifying: Ramsey and Page underline Wales' task against Turkey

Helen Ward

Former Wales striker on BBC Radio Wales

Nobody went in to Friday expecting anything less than a Welsh win, it is a difficult one to take.

We are without the superstar names, the likes of Gareth Bale and Joe Allen, now we have to find a new talisman.

Happy Wales memories against Turkey

That's not the last time Wales faced Turkey, though.

That was at the postponed Euro 2020 two years ago.

On that occasion in Baku, Azerbaijan, goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts - both assisted by Gareth Bale - gave Wales a 2-0 win which took them a long way towards securing their place in the knockout stages.

Take yourself back to that moment with the match report.

Huw Evans Picture Agency

Watch the goals from Wales' 10-goal thriller in Turkey

Here are the goals from that classic encounter in 1997.

Feast on the chaos.

Highlights of Turkey 6-4 Wales in a World Cup qualifier in 1997

Volcanoes and sabotage: Wales' last visit to Turkey

Saunders also knows what it feels like to be part of a losing Welsh side in Turkey.

The former Liverpool forward was in the Wales line-up the last time they played in Turkey, back in 1997 - and it was a properly bonkers match.

There were riot shields, career-ending substitutions, "volcanoes erupted" in the Wales changing room, Ryan Giggs played as a wing-back (?!?) and there were 10 (yes, TEN) goals in total.

This is the story of that wild night in Istanbul.

Huw Evans Picture Agency

Wales could be in 'massive trouble', Saunders warns

One man who knows what it takes to play in Turkey and succeed is former Wales striker Dean Saunders.

Saunders spent the 1995-96 season at Galatasaray and says if Wales lose against Turkey their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign "will be in massive trouble".

Euro 2024 qualifying: Wales defeat by Turkey would be 'massive' trouble - Saunders

Philip Marsh

BBC Sport Wales at Samsun Yeni 19 Mayis Stadyumu

The Wales players were greeted with a chorus of boos as they walked out onto the pitch for their warm up.

There is no music being played ahead of the match here in Samsun, so every pre-match chant and jeer can be heard throughout the stadium.

'Why do Wales need a slap?' Roberts takes aim at Page

Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts was not impressed by what Robert Page had to say.

Roberts was stunned by his former team-mate's assessment of such a "shocking" display that has left Wales facing an "almost impossible task" to qualify.

The result saw Wales drop to third - now fourth - in Group D before Monday's crucial match away to leaders Turkey.

"I don't agree with Rob's comments... why do Wales need a slap in the face?" Roberts told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"We've only got eight games in this campaign. It's not a league season of 46 games where you can afford one or two blips. It was a shocking result.

"We started well and scored a good goal but then for some reason, as an XI, we just got deeper and deeper, gave away possession far too easily and gave Armenia a pathway back.

"We've just made Armenia look like Argentina."

Armenia result the 'slap' Wales need, says Page

Robert Page also described that Armenia result as the "slap" his team might need.

"Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps this is the slap we need, a little bit of a reality check," he said.

"Everybody's getting starry-eyed and carried away. Yes, we've had a great start in March but there's no bad teams now anymore.

"I felt such in a positive place before the game, full of confidence, and I didn't see that coming. That's really shocked me as much as anyone else."

Huw Evans Picture Agency

'Nowhere near how we can play' - Page

This is what Robert Page made of that defeat against Armenia.

Wales manager Robert Page says Euro 2024 loss to Armenia 'nowhere near' good enough

Wales humbled at home by Armenia

So what happened on Friday night?

Robert Page and his players are probably still scratching their heads about it.

In short, they fell to one of their most humiliating defeats in recent memory as they threw away an early lead to lose 4-2 at home to Armenia, 71 places below Wales in the world rankings.

It was a chaotic game. If you missed it, or if you're a masochist who did watch, have a read of the match report here.

Huw Evans Picture Agency