Michael O'Neill accepts Northern Ireland's Euro 2024 qualification hopes appear distant after they were 'sucker punched' by Kazakhstan on Monday night.
Substitute Abat Aimbetov's 88th-minute goal stunned Windsor Park into silence, and inflicted a third successive 1-0 defeat on O'Neill's side in Group H.
Aimbetov was allowed to run from deep inside his own half, skipping past two desperate challenges before coolly slotting past Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
Read more: N Ireland 0 Kazakhstan 1: Monday's Euro qualifier as it happened at Windsor Park
"I don't think we deserved that tonight. We were very dominant in the first half but we found it difficult playing through a team that was set up to defend deep with 10 men behind the ball," O'Neill said.
"In the second half I think the game looked like it was drifting a bit but the substitutions gave us a lift. We lost Jonny (Evans) which was disappointing and we were a bit patched up at the back.
"And then to lose the goal at the end was a sucker punch, really. I think Kazakhstan were happy to settle for the point but they came away with all three which is disappointing result for us.
"We have lost three games 1-0, and conceded goals that you can't concede if you want to progress at this level. We are learning the hard way in terms of the mistakes we are making. They are costing us at this minute in time."
Northern Ireland sit second bottom in Group H, with just three points from their four opening games.
Their sole win came against minnows San Marino who are the only team below them in the table.
When the draw was made for the Euro qualifiers, hopes were high Northern Ireland could make their mark in the pool.
But now those ambitions appear to be floundering despite six games remaining in the campaign.
"We would have to win five games out of six to have a chance. We have won one out of four," O'Neill said.
"It will be extremely difficult for us to quality. I won't sit here and say that we have given up, but it will be extremely difficult.
"We have to take as much as we can from the last six games in the group. We have been obsessed with qualification since the draw was made, but we needed our strongest squad available and we haven't had that.
"I look at the group of players we have and it isn't a squad that would qualify for the tournament at this moment in time. It is important to recognise that.
"But equally the young players who have come in have done really well and we have to continue working with them and moulding them.
"Hopes of qualification will rest on their shoulders in years to come."
Some boos were heard inside Windsor at the final whistle, but O'Neill accepts that was a natural reaction to Monday night's defeat.
"Fans are entitled to boo. We lost the game 1-0 so that's normal," he said.
"I don't read too much into that to be honest. It is not very often fans cheers when their team loses a game.
"I think they are as frustrated as we are to see us lose the game in that manner. Hopefully they see a young team that will take time to mould.
"And obviously we need a little bit more experience back to help those younger players.
"Hopefully with one or two coming back we will be a little bit stronger later in the campaign."
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