The streets of Lille have been turned into a sea of red as Welsh and Belgian fans gathered ahead of the Euro 2016 quarter final on Friday night (1 July).

The colour was dominant in many squares, pubs and cafes, either to show support for the Welsh dragons or Belgium's "Red Devils" – both teams usually play in red shirts. For the match it will be Wales who play in red, while Belguim will have to revert to their away strip of blue, but their fans will still be wearing predominantly red.

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Fans from both sides were singing and drinking together, enjoying a friendly and mostly peaceful atmosphere. Large groups of mostly Belgian supporters danced on the main street interrupting traffic with their chanting.

Both sides are confident that their team would make it through to the semi-finals. "I think Wales are going to win 2-1," said one Wales fan while her friend thought there would be a slightly different outcome.

"No, no. 1-1, extra-time. Wales on penalties," he said.

One Belgium fan, on the other hand, said: "Today the Belgians will win in extra-time. We will win 2-1."

Authorities had expected between 150.000 and 200.000 people to come to Lille for the match. Most of them are from Belgium – the border is only a few kilometres away, and the Lille metro system actually ends in Belgium. Some Wales fans however were delayed when a Eurostar train broke down in the tunnel, prompting calls for the kick off to be delayed.

Euro 2016