John Toshack unhappy as Montenegro add insult to Wales' injury

There was a familiar look of dejection on John Toshack's face as he reflected on a defeat that seriously undermines Wales's hopes of qualifying for a major finals for the first time since 1958 with only one match played. Bulgaria, soundly beaten by England last night, come to Cardiff next month and Toshack admitted Wales will be going through the motions in their final six matches if they fail to pick up three points in their first home fixture. It was a sobering message to come out with so early in a qualifying campaign but arguably a realistic one. Toshack was desperate to get off to a good start against Montenegro but the Wales manager could only look on with frustration as his side were overrun before the interval. The excellent Mirko Vucinic scored during that period and the only surprise was that Montenegro failed to inflict further damage as they opened Wales up time and again in the first half. When another Montenegro blow did arrive, it came via the elbow of Miodrag Dzudovic, as the central defender made contact with the side of James Collins' face during an aerial challenge in the second half. The referee, Anastassios Kakos, gave no free-kick but Collins left the stadium with a suspected fractured cheekbone. Toshack suggested Dzudovic's actions were deliberate. "Things like that don't happen by accident," he said. The Wales manager, however, had few complaints with the final outcome here as he acknowledged his players were outplayed before the break, when Vucinic wreaked havoc. "We never got to grips with them at all in the first half," he said, highlighting the poor performances of Dave Edwards and Joe Ledley in central midfield. "This result means that the Bulgaria game is must-win or we will not have too much chance." Wales roused themselves in the last 15 minutes and finally began to apply some pressure. The substitute Simon Church headed Sam Ricketts' centre against the crossbar in the 86th minute and then endured more disappointment moments later when he bundled the ball home, after Robert Earnshaw's shot was saved, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Television replays showed that the assistant referee was correct to raise his flag. Vucinic then squandered a chance to put the game beyond Wales when he made a hash of beating Wayne Hennessey as he burst through the middle in injury-time but the Montenegro captain had long since left his mark on the game. Picking up possession just inside the Wales half in the 30th minute, he skipped past a weak challenge from Collins before exposing Hennessey's suspect positioning with a left-footed drive that went in off the upright. It was a goal that felt long overdue after an eight-minute period when Montenegro, inspired by Vucinic – whose name Chelsea fans will remember after he scored two goals for Roma against them in the Champions League a little under two years ago – came close to scoring on three other occasions. Toshack could sense what was coming next. "They were getting on top and had too much space and too much room," he said.