Wales slumped to an incredibly disappointing 2-1 defeat away to Slovakia in the first leg of their European Championship semi-final playoff.
Having been outplayed for the first hour, Wales found themselves two goals down, and deservedly so. Looking set to enter the return leg with a mountain to climb, Cymru claimed a precious goal back through Ffion Morgan in 89th minute.
Both teams will face off against each other again on Tuesday, this time in Cardiff City Stadium. Kick-off will be at 19:15.
Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson elected to make five changes from the side that defeated Kosovo in their final group stage game in Llanelli. Jess Fishlock dropped to the bench, alongside the likes of Safia Middleton-Patel and Mary McAteer.
Olivia Clark returned to take her place between the sticks, Kayleigh Barton was named as the striker, while Ceri Holland was elected to be the one to replace Sophie Ingle in the midfield alongside Angharad James.
It was Wales who made the brightest start to the half, and they were the ones to fashion out the first chance. Charlie Estcourt was able to get on the end of Angharad James’ wicked cross, but Slovakia keeper Mária Korenčiová prevented the ball from sneaking in at the near post.
That was to be the only real positive of the half from a Welsh perspective, as the Slovaks began to impose themselves onto Wales. As the visitors failed to clear a cross, Martina Šurnovská took a swing on goal, but couldn’t find the target.
Šurnovská would go close again minutes later, as she pulled away from Josie Green at the back post, but she could only sweep the ball wide. Wales’ wing backs were pushed high, and that presented even more opportunities for Slovakia.
Clark hadn’t been called into action so far, but come the end of the half, Wales would be thanking her for keeping them in it. In a one-on-one battle with Šurnovská, the FC Twente shot stopper came out on top but could only parry the ball straight to Klaudia Fabová. Unmarked, the midfielder hit a first time shot, but somehow, missed the target entirely.
Before the half, Slovakia caught Wales out with a quick free kick. Mária Mikoljová tried to dink the ball over Clark, but again, the keeper was equal to it, clawing the ball out expertly. A first half full of questions for Wales, who looked like a shell of the team they once were.
Wales midfielder Lois Joel on moving to Newcastle United from Championship rivals
There was perhaps an anticipation that Wales would recover and begin to find their feet in the second half, but instead, they found themselves in trouble. A mix-up between Clark and Josie Green almost saw the latter almost head into her own net, but instead, the ball bobbled wide for a corner.
From the resulting set piece, Wales failed to clear their lines, allowing the ball to bounce to the edge of the box. There with plenty of time on her hands was Šurnovská, and she found the top corner.
After squandering so many chances in the first half, Slovakia were in the groove, and nine minutes after the opener, they had their second. From a free kick on the edge of the box, Mikoljová found the top corner exquisitely. Wales’ poor performance so far was now beginning to cost them.
On came Fishlock to try and change their tide. Initially, Wales did begin to find small successes in possession and created a chance, but Rachel Rowe finessed the ball wide from Lily Woodham’s cross into the box.
Slowly, Wales began to increase the tempo, and the more Slovakia fell back into their own half, often putting ten players behind the ball. But a raft of offsides and lack of composure meant Cymru rarely threatened their backline.
But with a minute to spare, a lifeline for Wales. With bodies being thrown forward, Fishlock put a perfectly weighted pass into Ffion Morgan, who showed great composure to put the ball into the back of the net. How crucial could that goal be in the overall context of the tie?
There was a push from Wales to find an equaliser, but they couldn’t find one. If they had, on the whole, it would have been undeserved, as Slovakia had dominated for such large parts of the game. But Morgan’s goal could prove vital come Tuesday’s second leg.
Player of the Match: Olivia Clark
Single handedly kept Wales in it in the first half. With Slovakia well on top, they could have had four or five goals in the first period, but Clark was denying every shot coming her way. You can see already how much confidence she’s playing with since her move to the Netherlands.
Slovakia
Mária Korenčiová ©, Andrea Horváthová, Diana Bartovičová, Kristína Košiková (Katarína Vredíková 80’), Jana Vojteková, Patrícia Hmírová, L’udmila Mat’avková, Mária Mikoljová (Victoria Kaláberová 80’), Klaudia Fabová, Tamara Moráková (Laura Retkesová 59’), Martina Šurnovská (Kristína Panáková 80’)
Unused subs: Marína Štefániková, Martina Geletová, Darina Hrúziková, Aneta Surová, Michaela Ferencová, Sofia Škerdová, Andrea Bogorová
Goals: Martina Šurnovská (49’), Mária Mikoljová (58’)
Yellows: Mária Mikoljová (24’), Martina Šurnovská (79’)
Wales
Olivia Clark, Josie Green, Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans, Charlie Estcourt (Alice Griffiths 46’), Angharad James ©, Ceri Holland (Ffion Morgan 64’), Lily Woodham, Carrie Jones (Jess Fishlock 64’), Kayleigh Barton (Ella Powell 81’), Rachel Rowe (Mary McAteer 81’)
Unused subs: Laura O’Sullivan-Jones, Safia Middleton-Patel, Mayzee Davies, Rhiannon Roberts, Lois Joel, Anna Filbey, Mared Griffiths
Goals: Ffion Morgan (89’)
Yellows: Angharad James (57’)
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