A much-changed Wales side prepared for Sunday's World Cup play-off final with a commendable display in defeat against Poland in the Nations League.
Wales' second string played well in the first half against a full-strength home side.
The dangerous Daniel James was the closest to scoring for Wales.
The visitors took the lead early in the second half through a superb low strike by Jonny Williams, but they were pegged back by a fine finish by Jakub Kaminski and a late goal by Karol Swiderski.
The main concern for Wales was to keep the squad intact for a bigger goal on Sunday, regardless of the result.
Wales can now focus on the World Cup play-off final against Scotland or Ukraine, which manager Robert Page has described as the biggest match in Welsh history.
This was the first taste of the top flight in the Nations League for Wales and they prioritised other things.
The stakes are high for Wales when they host Scotland or Ukraine in the one-off tie, hoping to end their 64-year absence from football's showpiece tournament.
Bale, Ramsey, Joe Allen and Ben Davies were all left out of the squad in Poland.
Page had little choice with the size of the prize on offer on Sunday, as the decision represented its own risks against seasoned opposition who had already qualified for the World Cup.
fringe players stepped up to the challenge admirably, keeping possession with control and troubling Poland on the break
The best chance of the first half came in the fourth minute when Zielinski headed a cross wide.
After bursting clear on the left, he cut inside and forced Danny Ward to make a brilliant low save.
The pace and direct running of James posed a threat to Wales.
Poland was unable to contain the winger, who created opportunities for team-mates and missed one of his own, as he shot wide from a promising position.
His half-time replacement Rabbi Matondo continued in the same vein, stretching the Polish defence early in the second half to set up Williams, who fired in from 20 yards.
Kaminski was given too much time and space inside the Wales penalty area to shift the ball on to his right foot and finish into the far corner, which was Poland's equalizing goal.
With five minutes left, Wales failed to clear and Swiderski scored on the rebound to complete Poland's comeback.
Page will already have a clear idea of the team he will pick for the World Cup play-off and, while this game is unlikely to have changed his mind, the Wales manager will have been impressed by a number of performances.
Wes Burns looked at home on his debut at left wing-back, Dylan Levitt produced arguably his finest display yet in a Wales shirt and a new-look back three of Chris Gunter, Chris Mepham and Rhys Norrington-Davies coped admirably.
The electric James was taken off at half-time along with Kieffer Moore and goalkeeper Ward, with all three expected to play on Sunday.
Page wanted to keep his key men fit for the weekend and manage their minutes. A notable victory would have represented a perfect job done.
This game would not have had a bearing on Wales place in history. It will have all been worth it, because of the Triumph in Sunday's date with destiny.
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