Montenegro 1-1 Cymru
- Hannah Cain scores from the spot
- Montenegro shock Cymru with Jasna Djoković equaliser
- Elsewhere in group, Czechia slip-up against Albania
Cymru dropped two crucial points in Podgorica as Montenegro claimed a shock 1-1 draw with a late equaliser.
Carrie Jones captained Cymru for the first time as head coach Rhian Wilkinson made a number of changes to the starting line-up with one eye on Tuesday’s decisive match against Czechia in Cardiff. Travel disruption meant that Cymru arrived in Podgorica a day later than planned, but Wilkinson was adamant that there would be no excuses from her side.
Montenegro showed their intentions in the opening exchanges as they defended deeply in numbers and looked to frustrate Cymru. The visitors enjoyed long periods of possession but struggled to create any clear chances with limited space between the lines.
The heat in the capital city dictated a water break for both teams at the midway point and it gave Wilkinson to get a few vital messages across as her side looked more direct in their approach for the remainder of the opening half. With more balls getting in behind the Montenegro defence, more opportunities began to present themselves.
Ffion Morgan and Ella Powell had caused problems for Montenegro with their crossing ability. Morgan delivered a fine ball into the area for Hannah Cain, but it was intercepted by goalkeeper Ajša Kalač, just moments after Jones had seen her header go narrowly wide of the post.
The decisive moment of the half arrived just before half-time when Katarina Čađenović brought down Powell in the area. Cain stepped up and duly converted from the spot for her sixth goal of the qualifying campaign to give Cymru the lead at the midway point.
Montenegro almost made the perfect start to the 2nd half as Medina Dešić found herself in space on the edge of the area within seconds of the restart but could only shoot wide of Safia Middleton-Patel’s far post. However, the chance sparked a reaction from Cymru.
Elise Hughes thought she had doubled the lead minutes later, but her effort was superbly cleared off the line by Sladjana Bulatović. Meanwhile, Cain had a great opportunity to score her second of the game, but she failed to make the right connection from a Ffion Morgan cross.
Cymru continued to dominate for long periods, forcing a series of corners and comfortably holding onto their lead despite Montenegro doing everything to keep themselves in the game. The defensive discipline of the home side limited the number of clear-cut chances that Cymru were able to create, but the result was rarely in doubt until the final ten minutes.
Lily Woodham lost possession to Medina Dešić and she crossed for substitute Jasna Djoković to get ahead of Esther Morgan to equalise. The goal was a huge blow to Cymru, especially with news filtering through that group leaders Czechia had also been held to a surprise 1-1 draw against Albania in Prague.
The next game for Cymru is the crunch match against Czechia in Cardiff on Tuesday (9 June) which they must win to top the group in the final qualifying match.
As it happened
Montenegro 1-1 Cymru
