Watch: Iranian fans create Azadi magic at Fifa World Cup in Qatar

When Roozbeh Cheshmi finally found the back of the net with a magnificent right-footer from outside the box, the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium erupted in deafening noise as the Wales players dropped to their knees

Few arenas in the football world are more intimidating for the away teams than Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, the home ground for Iran’s international matches, including the tough World Cup qualifiers.

It’s a stadium that reverberates with the roar of 78,000 Iranians in every game, sending chills down the spine of every rival team even before they could kick the ball.

The Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium at the Qatar World Cup, with a capacity of 45,000, isn’t quite the Azadi Stadium in size.

But on Friday, thousands of Iranian fans draped in their national colours created the Azadi magic in Qatar, singing and beating drums, roaring their approval at the waves of their team's attacks on the Wales team who were hanging on for their dear lives.

Before Roozbeh Cheshmi broke the deadlock in the 98th minute, the loudest noise came when the referee had to pull out the red card for the Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after he floored an Iranian attacker with a flying kick outside the box in a desperate attempt to protect his goal.

When Cheshmi finally found the back of the net with a magnificent right-footer from outside the box, the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium erupted in deafening noise as the Wales players dropped to their knees.

After the myriad attacks on the Wales box, they finally found the shot that could earn them redemption following their embarrassing 6-2 defeat to England in the opening game.

But there was still time for one more goal after the end of Iran’s frustrating wait for the first.

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Stunned by the relentless aggression from the Iranians, the Wales players, many of who play in the English Premier League, were misplacing their passes.

It was from one of those lapses that the second goal came as Ramin Rezaeian finished off the contest in rousing fashion.

It was only Iran’s third victory in the World Cup since their debut in the world’s biggest sporting event in 1978 — and one that made many an Iranian man cry tears of joy in the stands.

One such man was Mohammed who travelled from Dubai with his wife Neelu to support his national team at the World Cup.

“It’s the happiest day of my life. I had a feeling that we could beat Wales. But they (Wales) were defending well. They have big players like Gareth Bale. But our team kept fighting hard for this win,” said Ahmed who lives in Downtown Dubai.