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Going into their opening game of Group B at this year's World Cup, it would be fair to say that most neutrals expected Qatar to be comfortably beaten by Switzerland.
Qatar are playing in just their second ever World Cup, and their first on foreign soil after hosting the 2022 tournament.
But, they have struggled for form of late. In fact, since qualifying for the World Cup 2026 back in October of last year, they have not won a single match.
Qatar have a great chance to qualify from Group B
The deadlock was broken early on in the clash at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, with Breel Embolo converting from the spot after a controversial penalty was awarded to Switzerland.
From there, it was a game heavily dominated by Murat Yakin’s side. Were it not for some lacklustre finishing from Nottingham Forest man Dan Ndoye, we could have seen the Swiss going in at the break three or four up.
At times, it looked more like a Switzerland training session than a World Cup group game. But, despite all that dominance, that one-nil scoreline remained in place right until the 95th minute.
Thanks largely to the heroics of goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada, and some lethargic finishing from the Swiss attackers, Qatar stayed in the game and were rewarded for their dogged approach when Boualem Khoukhi thumped home a header in injury time.
With eight of the 12 third-placed teams set to qualify for the knockout stages at this summer's tournament, that point could be absolutely crucial for Qatar. Even if they had lost 1-0, the minimal goal difference would have been a small miracle, so this result will put Lopetegui and co. in dreamland.
Indeed, with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada their other Group B opponents, it's not unthinkable that a win might even come Qatar's way before this phase of the competition is over.
Lopetegui went into this tournament claiming that simply qualifying for the World Cup 2026 was a huge achievement for Qatar. He even admitted: "The three opponents are better than us, but we know our limitations very well and will try to minimise them."
By keeping the scoreline down despite 27 shots on goal from Switzerland, it would appear Qatar very much minimised that threat, and then some.
Now, they have put themselves in just about as strong a position as they could have hoped for after this tricky opening tie. With spirits high, hosts Canada will surely now be worried about facing Qatar next week.
Will Qatar qualify for the knockouts? Tell us below…
