The Montenegrins sit 87th in global rankings, 56 spots beneath Wales.

They were dominated in Llanelli during March, pressing high and suffering as Wales tore through their defense.

Yet the return match told a different tale, with Montenegro dropping deep to stifle Wilkinson's side.

Although Wales held most of the ball, their opponents remained competitive until Jasna Djokovic netted an equaliser in the 79th minute for their first point of the campaign.

Wales could have sealed the win earlier but squandered control during the opening period before Cain converted from the penalty spot.

The decision for the kick appeared questionable, while Wales felt aggrieved by another call in the second half when Elise Hughes' shot was spectacularly cleared from beneath the bar.

Replays indicated the ball might have crossed the line, yet without goal-line technology the officials allowed play to continue.

Wales could also have netted from the follow-up, but Cain - their main scoring threat this campaign - blazed wastefully over the bar.

It appeared the missed opportunities would prove irrelevant, yet Wales suffered when Lily Woodham lost possession needlessly in her own half and Djokovic, having outmaneuvered Esther Morgan, finished at the far post.

"It is truly frustrating," Cain remarked.

"Away fixtures are always tough, particularly against sides that sit in a low block, but we created openings to settle the contest.

"Holding a 1-0 lead for so long only to surrender it in that manner is deeply disappointing."

Wilkinson altered her starting lineup for the Montenegro clash, introducing five changes from the side that won in Albania during April.

Before kick-off the impression was that Wilkinson rested players such as Rhiannon Roberts, Angharad James, Mared Griffiths and Ceri Holland to preserve them for the Czechs.

After the final whistle the view was that Wales would have benefited from deploying their strongest lineup, since a victory would have improved their standing in the group.

Wilkinson could counter that the selected players should have handled Montenegro comfortably enough.

Too frequently Wales missed the required intensity and pace against weaker opposition, partly due to the heat at Gradski Stadion.

Another issue was Wales' disrupted preparation, arriving in Podgorica just 23 hours before the match after electrical storms diverted their flight to Italy on Wednesday evening.

The Football Association of Wales arranged overnight lodging for the squad in the early hours of Thursday, and they reached Montenegro that evening following a difficult night and without any proper training session beforehand.

Wilkinson stated there were no excuses and avoided blaming the poor performance on the disrupted schedule.

Nevertheless Wales will hope for and anticipate a calmer buildup to the decisive group match against the Czechs.

"The performance is below our usual level, but attention now turns to Tuesday," said Carrie Jones, who captained Wales for the first time in Montenegro.

"We know we are a strong side from our past results. On Tuesday we must deliver."