There is a version of Edmilson Junior that Qatar have been waiting to see since he made the switch in October 2024. It arrives in flashes, as has been the case in Al Duhail for years now, but it is enough to make a difference. A shoulder drop here, a cross curling into nothing useful, a shot that finds the top corner when least expected. Yet, it has been tucked away somewhere behind the inconsistency and recurring injuries that have quietly defined his time in the Maroon shirt.

On the flipside, what Qatar have had so far is a player who can be shifted to either flank without complaint, who tracks back when asked, who puts in the kind of shift, as he did in the 2-1 win over the UAE that finally settled their World Cup place. The Belgium-born winger is capable of whipping a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box and can take on players equally well when allowed to. As such, it is evident why he has been used thus far and will be the one relied on to relieve the pressure on Afif. Lopetegui will need him to exist for longer than a few minutes at a time.