Humiliation as Wales lose 4-2 to Armenia

  • Wales
Things went from bad to worse for Wales as striker Kieffer Moore saw red Credit: PA

Manager Rob Page said it was perhaps the "slap" his team needed after Wales lost 4-2 at home to Armenia.

On a dismal night for Wales, they conceded four against opponents more than 70 places below them in the world rankings.

Despite taking an early lead thanks to Dan James, Armenia struck back moments later when Lucas Zelarayán netted with a stunning shot.

There was anguish on the sidelines as Rob Page watched his side lose Credit: PA

Having conceded three goals, Harry Wilson offered a glimmer of hope but that was dimmed when Zelarayán scored his second, making it 4-2.

Wales' woes were compounded when striker Kieffer Moore was sent off about ten minutes before the final whistle.

The result leaves Wales behind Turkey and Croatia in their qualifying group.

It also puts the brakes on their strong start as they bid to qualify for their third consecutive major tournament, Euro 2024.

Speaking after the match, Rob Page said: "Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps this is the slap we need, a little bit of a reality check."

He added: "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."

Talking about going back to the way Wales usually play, Page continued: "We're hard-working and we pride ourselves in doing the not-so-pretty side of it. They [Armenia] taught us a lesson in that, how to do the not-so-pretty side of the game."

Wales play again on Monday, away from home against Turkey as they look to get their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign back on track.

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