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With almost 50 FIFA rankings separating the two sides, Sri Lanka's 1-0 defeat of Yemen was world football's biggest upset of the November international break. And at the heart of it all was Brisbane Roar stalwart Jack Hingert.
In an essentially empty Al Khor stadium in Northeastern Qatar, a long throw into the box was flicked onto a stooping Hingert, who nodded home to win the day.
The 89th-minute goal was his first for Sri Lanka and the so-far crowning moment of the 34-year-old's fledgling international career.
It was only friendly, but you could see what it meant to the Golden Army, as the Men's National Team is known.
Hingert barely had time to wheel away in celebration before he was engulfed by an ecstatic cloud of teammates, bench-warmers and coaching staff alike.
For much of its history, the world's 200th ranked national team (out of 210) has been little more than a footballing footnote, having never even come close to qualifying for a major international tournament.
And in recent years, political instability in the country, a FIFA ban, and the COVID pandemic have stymied any potential development.
But now, Hingert is a key figure in the rebirth of Sri Lankan football.
It's a role he never anticipated being cast in, but one that means more than any he has played on a football field before.
SL family ties
Hingert isn't sure how Football Federation Sri Lanka (FFSL) got wind of his heritage.
Born in London, he moved to Melbourne as a teenager and has gone on to play almost the entirety of his professional career in Queensland. So, any clues to his international eligibility were seemingly well hidden.
But in 2020, an approach was made by then Sri Lanka manager Amir Alagic.
Hingert's connection to Sri Lanka is through his father, who was born in the country and is of Burgher descent.
Sri Lankan Burghers are a small ethnic group of mixed Dutch, Portuguese and Sri Lankan ancestry, many of whom now live in diaspora communities across the world.
Hingert's father emigrated in the 60s, but his, and his son's, connection to the country has stayed strong.
Much of their family remains in Sri Lanka, some of whom still own a restaurant on the beach in Colombo.
But a considerable number also immigrated to London, and then Melbourne, at similar times to Hingert's immediate family.
Upon taking over as national team boss in 2020, Alagic set out to identify players with Sri Lankan heritage competing abroad, hoping to bolster the country's largely semi-professional talent pool.
Since then, Hingert is one of at least 10 players from the diaspora to have become a part of the Sri Lankan football furniture.
He was also enticed by FFSL's mission to raise the nation's footballing reputation.
But after that initial contact, things went quiet.
Meeting in Qatar
It wasn't until after the worst of the Covid pandemic that Hingert could finally link up with the Sri Lankan squad.
In September 2022, two years after the initial approach, he was called up to a training camp at the Aspire Academy in Qatar.
The Aspire Academy calls itself an "elite sports institute, dedicated to developing young athletes to their full potential" and has hosted some of football's most famous teams.
Thanks to a partnership with the Qatari FA, it has become a home away from home for the Golden Army.
And there to welcome the team to Qatar was Tim Cahill, who works closely with the Qatari FA and since 2021 has been the Aspire Academy's Chief Sports Officer.
Hingert says the 2022 camp only reaffirmed his desire to represent the country.
Asian Cup qualification
2024 was a year of success for the Golden Army.
In addition to the recent friendly victory over Yemen, the side ended the year still in the hunt for 2027 Asian Cup qualification, courtesy of a penalty shootout victory over Cambodia in September. It's the furthest Sri Lanka has ever progressed towards Asia's Premier Football Tournament.
While it is still a long road to the tournament in 2027, Hingert says the team's injection of diaspora stars has already proved to be a positive influence on Sri Lankan football.
(Agencies)