Wales boss Rob Page admits a lack of quality in the final third was ultimately behind his side's disappointing draw with Armenia on Saturday.
Hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 now hang in the balance for Page's men, who produced a limp performance as they were held to a 1-1 draw in Yerevan. It means their bid to qualify automatically from Group D is now out of their hands, with Wales now having to beat Turkey on Tuesday in the hope Croatia will drop points against Latvia and, ironically, Armenia.
The nature of the performance was a striking contrast to the win over Croatia in the last international break, and Page will undoubtedly have a tough task in picking up his players for Tuesday's clash in Cardiff.
READ MORE:The results Wales now need to secure Euro 2024 qualification after frustrating Armenia draw
"We got off to the worst possible start, conceding a goal after four minutes," he said when assessing the contest. "We knew they were going to come out the traps fast. I'm disappointed with that. I thought we grew in the first half. I thought we scored at the perfect time.
"But the break came at a bad time for us because I thought we were growing in momentum. Having said that with the two 10s we had on the pitch in David Brooks and Harry Wilson. We didn't find them enough as well as they did. They had opportunities to get their 10s on the pitch and cause more of a threat.
"We're all disappointed. But we threw everything at it towards the end. I think we got into some OK positions. Whether it was that final pass or that final ball or final detail at the end, it wasn't quite right for us at the end for whatever reason.
"There's a disappointed group in there but we've got to pick ourselves up because we want to finish on a high now on Tuesday."
Commenting on his side's qualification hopes, Page added: "Unfortunately it's now out of our control. A win here tonight and we would have been all buzzing for the game on Tuesday.
"It's not materialised as we would have liked, but that's life. We have to get on with it. It's about building momentum now. If it's a play-off in March, it's a play-off in March.
"For now we can only control what we can do. It's about getting these players into a right frame of mind. Physically, mentally, and ready to go again on Tuesday."
The result has arguably further cemented Armenia's status as a bogey team for Wales, who are yet to beat them in their last four attempts. Page was actually part of the squad that played in Yerevan the last time Wales were here in 2001, and believes Armenia's class of 23' bear striking similarities with his own current team, which he claims makes the all more difficult to play against.
However, Page insists the inability to draw out the best from his attacking arsenal was the central factor in failing to get a result this time around. "I think they do play a similar way," he added. "Two attacking midfielders. two athletic sixes. One that plays like a 10 and gets forward and gets runs in the box. They play to their strengths.
"He's got a way of playing that gets the best out of his players. We did really well against Croatia and for whatever reason tonight we struggled.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game. They showed their intent in June. We had a game plan. When you've got players like Harry Wilson and David Brooks on the back of a wonderful performance against Croatia, we wanted to do that again and we just couldn't get them on the ball.
"We knew the space on the sides was an area that was more for Brennan and DJ, so the first opportunity we had in the second half we brought Brennan on. But again it was that final pass, or run that wasn't quite there for us."
