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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ian Mitchelmore

Dafydd Iwan's epic rendition of Yma o Hyd brings the house down at Wales v Ukraine but fans fume over ITV and Sky Sports TV no-show

Wales bid to make history by qualifying for a first World Cup since 1958 today.

Rob Page's men face Ukraine in Cardiff, with the winner booking their place at this year's global showpiece in Qatar. And a packed Cardiff City Stadium crowd were treated to a rousing rendition of Yma o Hyd by Dafydd Iwan ahead of kick-off.

However, while S4C showed the song in full, some fans watching at home were left unhappy as ITV and Sky Sports decided not to broadcast the popular tradition.

The iconic Welsh singer warmed up fans in style as they defeated Austria 2-1 in March to book their place in today's final, with Iwan left visibly emotional after the immense reception he received from the Red Wall. Players have since adopted the folk song as their second anthem behind Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, with Connor Roberts even admitting he listens to the tune before matches.

Read more: Wales fans just sang the most incredible rendition of the national anthem before Ukraine match

Following his roaring success against Austria, Iwan, 78, was invited to the crunch Wales fixture, and shortly before the two sets of players entered the pitch to sing their respective anthems, Iwan belted out a spine-tingling version of Yma o Hyd to stir up the supporters ahead of the pivotal clash with Ukraine.

After the win over Austria in March, boss Rob Page credited Chris Gunter as the man for making Yma o Hyd a dressing room favourite (you can read more on that here.) "The song is very poignant to what we're all about," said Page. "We can all relate to it. We're all passionate Welsh people who love our country."

Ahead of Wales v Ukraine, Roberts admitted he has been a huge admirer of the song since his days at Swansea City. "It was always an anthem for me when I was at Swansea," he said. "When I came here it’s much bigger than it was before. He [Iwan] sang out there against Austria. I’m a bit disappointed we didn't get to go out there and listen to it."

Get your Wales World Cup 48-page souvenir special on Saturday, June 11. Order your copy via the online shop here.

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