Josh Sheehan - players.bio

Slovakia 4-0 Wales: Pressure mounts on Rob Page as visitors torn apart in Trnava

Wales boss Rob Page remains under huge pressure after his side were hammered at the hands of a rampant Slovakia on Sunday night.

Juraj Kucka put the hosts in front just before the interval, before a second-half collapse saw the hosts extend their lead through Robert Bozenik, before Ethan Ampadu's own goal and Laszlo Benes' late strike completed another miserable evening for Wales.

Missing out on the upcoming European Championships meant this summer was already shaping up to be a disappointing one for Welsh football. But after blundering through a desperately poor stalemate against minnows Gibraltar, this thumping in Trnava will have undoubtedly provided Page's critics with further ammunition.

The Wales boss unsurprisingly made seven changes for his clash against a Slovakia side currently preparing for Euro 2024. Fin Stevens, Jay Dasilva, Josh Sheehan and Ben Cabango the only survivors from Thursday's fiasco in Faro.

But Wales remained worryingly lacking in cohesion or effervescence for much of the evening, and simply made it too easy for their far superior hosts, who were seldom troubled.

Page may once again turn to his line that this is a Wales side in transition after this latest challenging night. But that increasingly feels like an assertion that is falling on deaf, or at best unsympathetic ears.

The deeply problematic idea that this side was a penalty kick away from joining Sunday's opponents in Germany next week feels a similarly tired soundbite. A half-hearted attempt to divert attention away from the obvious shortcomings that manifested during the qualifying campaign.

The boos that greeted the conclusion of what many would consider to be one of the most straightforward assignments in international football in

Football Boxing show UPS Inside Ball as

Juraj Kucka Ethan Ampadu Rob Page Josh Sheehan

walesonline.co.uk

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