World Cup: Wales fans quietly confident ahead of Iran match

For galore Wales fans, Monday was among the champion days of their lives - and they are acceptable to bash it each implicit again.

There volition beryllium up to 6,000 fans successful the stadium, treble the pre-tournament estimates, for Wales' World Cup crippled against Iran astatine 10:00 BST connected Friday.

The earthy emotion of Monday's gully against the USA has turned to cautious optimism among fans.

However, for galore Iranians successful Wales the crippled volition beryllium played against a backdrop of unrest successful their location nation.

With a overmuch earlier kick-off, 13:00 section time, fingernails volition person little clip to beryllium bitten than they did for the opening gully against the USA.

In Doha, it is among the bustling Souq Waqif marketplace stalls that Wales fans are successful a relaxed temper among supporters bringing their antithetic colours and songs from astir the world.

Monday's crippled was simply astir the emotion for some, with Freya Powell, 49, from Bargoed, Caerphilly county, saying: "During the anthem, I turned astir and could spot everyone had tears successful their eyes.

"I could see, done the tears successful my ain eyes, grown men crying."

For 1 Iranian pistillate surviving successful Wales, Friday's lucifer is astir overmuch much than football.

Shara Atashi, who fled Iran with her parent successful 1979 pursuing the Islamic revolution, sees echoes of that clip successful the current protests happening successful Iran.

"When I ticker today's scenes of protest, I americium reminded of those days: bonfires everywhere, burning tyres, radical shouting slogans and spreading flyers," she said.

Ms Atashi, a writer with German citizenship, moved to Wales successful 2019 and made it her adopted home, arsenic it "gave maine backmost my archetypal identity".

Because of the concern successful her location country, Ms Atashi said she volition beryllium supporting Wales.

"The Islamic Republic [Iran] manager has told Iranian protesters not travel to the stadium to protest. That shows however authoritarian this full strategy is.

"I privation radical successful Wales to cognize that Wales volition beryllium playing against the Islamic Republic, not a squad of honourable athletes. That Iranians privation Wales to triumph due to the fact that the Iran squad does not correspond Iranians."

"It does not hap often that the radical of a state privation their ain country's shot squad to lose. It is not capable that this squad did not sing the nationalist anthem," added Ms Atashi.

"They should driblet retired of the games and articulation the protests."

Mehdi Darian, 42, primitively from Iran but who lives successful Cardiff, volition besides beryllium supporting Wales with his family.

He moved backmost to Wales with his woman Siobhan, 43, who is from Cardiff, and sons Nathaniel, eight, and Noah, three, aft surviving successful Dubai for 10 years.

"[Nathaniel] is decently pursuing Wales, helium cried - helium astir smashed the location down erstwhile America scored," said Mehdi.

"He asked me, helium said 'who are you going to support, Wales oregon Iran?' I said evidently Wales.

"I could spot the happiness successful his face.

"Nobody supports the existent concern going connected successful Iran. We judge successful representing the people, which the Iranian authorities does not."

"I utilized to beryllium a goalkeeper myself, erstwhile Iran mislaid to England my person texted maine 'go get your gloves and spell to Qatar to assistance your team'," added Mehdi.

"I was similar 'no that's not my team, my squad is Wales'. I spot myself arsenic a Welshman due to the fact that my household is Welsh."

Schools crossed Wales volition beryllium pausing lessons to let pupils to ticker the important match, with 1 caput teacher saying his pupils are "very excited".

Matthew Evans, caput of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf successful Cardiff, said aggregate schoolhouse halls and gymnasiums were being acceptable up to amusement the match.

"We've seen an summation successful bucket hats and random singing of Yma o Hyd connected the gait and connected schoolhouse corridors," helium said.

Back successful Qatar, Sian Thomas, 52, from Cardiff, feels arsenic if she is "in dreamland" having much points than Argentina aft the archetypal match.

"Seeing a monolithic Wales emblem adjacent to the World Cup trophy [at the opener], I conscionable thought we had arrived," she said.

"Now we cognize what to expect. There won't beryllium arsenic overmuch unit and hopefully we'll get the occupation done."

It has been a beingness of waiting for Gwilym Francis, 62, from Carmarthen, who described himself arsenic "like a kid astatine Christmas" for the opener.

Overall, Gwilym said helium is "quietly optimistic" for Friday's game.

With tickets for some the past 16 matches and final, possibly helium is 1 of Wales' astir optimistic fans, but helium admitted: "I'm not definite I'll get to spot america successful some of those games."

Caroline Bird, 52, from Caerleon, Newport, added: "Against the USA, we were blessed with a gully but this is simply a must-win and I deliberation we will."

These sentiments were echoed by Simon Jones, 56, from Mynachdy, Pembrokeshire, who said aft a nervy opener, Wales should spell into the Iran crippled expecting to win.