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As Cristiano Ronaldo and the rest of the Portugal squad prepared to take on Iran in tonight's final group stage fixture of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, hundreds of excited Iranian fans spent several hours last night, surrounding the Portuguese national team's hotel.
The throngs of noisy fans were allegedly there in a bid to ruin the Portuguese team's sleep ahead of tonight's do-or-die fixture that will either see Portugal qualify for the Round of 16, or go back to Portugal in dismay.
Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was filmed by TV RTP late at night by the window, resorting to gestures in a bid to ask the Iranian fans to be silent and allow them to sleep.
Here is a clip of Ronaldo gesturing from his window:
Notably, the only way Iran can qualify for the round of 16, is if they beat the European champions tonight. A draw or a defeat will send them straight back home. On the other hand, a draw will be sufficient to put Portugal through, however, Ronaldo and co. will desperately look for a win which will help them finish atop group B.
According to reports from The Washington Post, Ronaldo's gestures forced some supporters to leave before a second batch of Iranian supporters showed up, making a lot of noise. One of the Iranian fans, Mehdi Fayez, was reportedly messaged and told to present himself outside the hotel in a bid to improve Iran's chances by disrupting the Portugal team's peace.
“I love Ronaldo, I love Portugal, but this is a big game. We have to do all it takes” Fayez said,
Another Iranian, Montreh Fayoud, said:
“We were coming back from dinner and saw all these Iranians here. When I found the reason, I decided to leave”
Portugal take on Iran tonight at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk, in a do-or-die match where the winner is certain to qualify for the next stage of the tournament.
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