Wales - 2 Serbia & Montenegro - 3 The calibre of potential opposition in this morning's draw, a run of four competitive matches without a win and this, their first home defeat since June 2001, were factors that soured the mood.

If Mark Hughes's side had won and Italy had slipped up against Azerbaijan, Wales would have secured automatic qualification. The improbability of that scenario did not modify the disappointment. When the substitute Danijel Ljuboja opened up a 3-1 lead for the visitors with an easy goal, the stadium half emptied, though Rob Earnshaw's headed reply leavened the atmosphere.

However, with Spain, Holland, Turkey and Russia lurking in today's draw, there was a somewhat sombre mood among the squad. Craig Bellamy said: "You've got to be realistic and look at the sides that are in it. You don't want to go to Spain or Holland do you?"

Mark Pembridge and Andy Melville were on one yellow card apiece and were rested ensuring no one will be unavailable through suspension for the play-off's first leg. Hughes will keenly await the return of Pembridge's midfield bite. Paul Jones should not have allowed Zvonimir Vukic's fourth-minute free-kick in at his near post. John Hartson won and dispatched a penalty midway through the first half that should have provided the platform for a win, but Danny Gabbidon could only direct a header at the Serbian goalkeeper shortly after half-time. Jones could perhaps have done better than to let through Milosevic's low shot.

"Some positives came out of the game," said the captain Gary Speed, "but if we carry on as we are we won't get through the play-offs."

WALES: Jones, Weston (Edwards 72), Gabbidon, Delaney, Barnard, Earnshaw, Speed, Robinson (Oster 88), Bellamy, Hartson (Blake 86), Giggs. Subs Not Used: Melville, Williams, Pembridge, Crossley. Booked: Weston, Bellamy. Goals: Hartson 24 pen, Earnshaw 90.

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO: Jevric, Cirkovic (Brnovic 74), Sarac, Mladenovic, Bunjevcevic, Gavrancic, Kezman (Milosevic 59), Vukic, Nenad Djordjevic, Kovacevic (Ljuboja 79), Boskovic. Subs Not Used: Zilic, Dudic, Vaskovic, Markovic. Booked: Nenad Djordjevic, Vukic, Kovacevic. Goals: Vukic 4, Milosevic 82, Ljuboja 87.

Referee: F Stuchlik (Austria).