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There is a kind of alchemy when Wales play under the lights at Cardiff City Stadium.
From the acapella national anthem to the supporters' songbook and the way the simmering atmosphere inspires players to scale new heights, these are occasions to stir the soul.
Wales will need some of that magic when they face North Macedonia on Tuesday, requiring victory to finish second in their World Cup qualifying group and secure home advantage for their play-off semi-final in March.
Fail to win and that semi-final will be an away tie against higher ranked opponents such as Italy, so Wales head coach Craig Bellamy knows the stakes are "massive".
"Players have been in this situation so many times over the last 10 years, especially Cardiff nights," he says.
"When we've managed to qualify, it's been here. The crowd is used to this environment and these moments.
"It's always a big help. We know we need to win, of course, but we have to be patient as well.
"Fans, recognise when we need you the most, but I'm also fully conscious we have to give you something to cheer as well."
That will be the aim against North Macedonia on Tuesday, as Wales look to add to their list of famous Cardiff nights.
Wales players mob Aaron Ramsey after his second goal against Hungary in 2019, sealing back-to-back qualification for European Championships
The injury-enforced absences of Ben Davies, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Ward mean that this Wales squad contains no members of the group that soared to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
So it seems appropriate to begin with a game where more of the current crop were involved.
Wales made a poor start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, picking up just three points from their first three matches under Ryan Giggs, but they gathered momentum at just the right moment.
Nobody epitomised that sense of timing better than Ramsey, who returned from a series of injuries in time for the final two qualifiers in November 2019, appearing as a substitute in the 2-0 win in Azerbaijan before starting the decisive final game against Hungary.
Ramsey scored both goals in an impressive 2-0 victory to seal automatic qualification, and the euphoric scenes at Cardiff City Stadium moved the usually inscrutable Giggs to tears.
There are parallels to be drawn between Tuesday's match against North Macedonia and Belgium's visit to Cardiff in November 2021, when Wales were again playing for home advantage in a future World Cup play-off.
Having already missed out on automatic qualification to the Belgians – as is effectively the case this time too – Wales needed to beat them to secure second spot.
They fell behind to a Kevin de Bruyne goal but Cardiff City Stadium erupted when Kieffer Moore equalised for Rob Page's side.
With other results going Wales' way, a 1-1 draw was enough to seal a home semi-final, which was to prove crucial.
Wales truly made the most of having their World Cup play-off semi-final at Cardiff City Stadium, as the game against Austria in March 2022 will be remembered as one of the most moving occasions in Welsh football – and, in some respects, cultural – history.
Dafydd Iwan played his anthemic protest song Yma O Hyd before kick-off; the iconic singer in tears as he heard his Welsh-language masterpiece sung back to him by more than 30,000 people, many of whom did not speak the language.
That set the tone for a spine-tingling atmosphere, which intensified further as Gareth Bale scored two stunning individual goals to give Wales a 2-1 victory.
Iwan returned to the stadium to play Yma O Hyd (which translates as 'Still Here') again before the play-off final against Ukraine three months later.
That was another momentous occasion, Bale the match-winner once more in a 1-0 triumph which took Wales to their first World Cup in 64 years.
Dafydd Iwan's Yma O Hyd has become an anthem for Welsh football fans since his performance of the song before the win over Austria in 2022
Wales' hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 were in tatters following back-to-back defeats against Armenia and Turkey in the summer of 2023 so, by the time they welcomed group favourites Croatia to Cardiff that October, manager Page was under severe pressure.
Wales responded by producing one of their greatest performances, thoroughly outplaying the World Cup semi-finalists in front of a raucous Cardiff City Stadium crowd.
Harry Wilson scored both goals in a 2-1 win on a dream 50th appearance for his country as Wales revived their aspirations of qualifying automatically.
Wins against Armenia and Turkey would have been enough but Wales drew both games, meaning they had to settle for the play-offs.
Again they were home for their semi-final – an emphatic 4-1 win over Finland – and the final against Poland, but they lost that game on penalties to miss out on qualification for Euro 2024 in gut-wrenching fashion.
Two humiliating friendly results three months later – a goalless draw with Gibraltar and 4-0 thrashing by Slovakia – spelt the end for Page.
But as a one-off result and performance, that Croatia win is still a night to remember.
Craig Bellamy won five and drew four of his first nine matches as Wales head coach
Page was replaced by his former team-mate Bellamy, who made the best start of any Wales boss as he went nine games unbeaten.
His first assignment was a Nations League campaign, and his team pulled off an improbable promotion to the top tier thanks to last November's thumping 4-1 win over Iceland – and Montenegro's win against Turkey.
Wales had actually fallen behind in the first half but fought back superbly with two goals from Liam Cullen, followed by one each for Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson.
That made for a jubilant atmosphere at Cardiff City Stadium, where fans chanted "Montenegro" as well as celebratory songs about their own team.
Wales fans have not had a great deal to cheer in Cardiff since then, and Bellamy is still searching for a first real statement win as head coach.
He will need at least two if he is to lead Wales to next year's World Cup. Preferably, victory against North Macedonia on Tuesday will be the first of three wins over the next four months - and one of many big Cardiff nights to come.
