Serbia proved too strong for a disappointing Wales side here on Tuesday as Sinisa Mihajlovic's side registered a thumping 6-1 win, their first victory in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Aleksandar Kolarov, Zoran Tosic, Filip Djuricic, Dusan Tadic, Branislav Ivanovic and Miralem Sulejmani all netted for Serbia, while Gareth Bale's fine free-kick proved to be scant consolation for the visitors.
After losing 2-0 at home to Belgium on Friday, Chris Coleman's side are left still looking for their first point of the campaign, and Wales have now lost all five matches since Coleman took over as coach.
They did at least score for the first time under the former Fulham manager, thanks to Bale's magnificent 30-yard free-kick half an hour in, but Wales had already conceded twice by then following a dreadful start to the match.
Serbia's opener came 16 minutes in when Manchester City's Kolarov bent a free-kick from just outside the box up and over the wall and beyond the despairing dive of Wales 'keeper Boaz Myhill.
Aleksandar Ignjovski fired inches wide moments later, before some shocking Welsh defending allowed Serbia to score again midway through the first half.
Nobody was able to stop Kolarov powering to the byline and forcing the ball into the path of CSKA Moscow winger Tosic, who could hardly miss from close range with the goal gaping.
Only a timely block from Chris Gunter stopped Tadic making it three before Bale gave Wales a glimmer of hope with his fourth goal in his last six international appearances.
But Serbia went 3-1 up before the break when Tadic supplied Djuricic to score, and the pattern of the game remained the same after the interval.
The fourth arrived 10 minutes into the second period, with skipper Ivanovic setting up Tadic to get the goal his performance deserved, and Chelsea defender Ivanovic added his name to the scoresheet 10 minutes from time.
And there was still time for substitute Sulejmani's shot from just outside the area to take a wicked deflection and loop over Myhill in the final minute.
It is the first time that Wales have conceded six goals in a game since a 6-4 reverse in Turkey in 1997, and the win for Serbia leaves them with four points from two qualifiers as they bid to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup finals.
Source: AFP
