When Mahmoud Abunada was named in goal against Oman, for the first of the two ever-important fourth-round qualifier matches in October, eyebrows were raised. The 26-year-old started over veteran Meshaal Barsham and second-in-command Salah Zakaria after spending five years on and off as a peripheral profile on the bench.

Important saves came against Oman and more against the UAE, which ultimately lowered the eyebrows and, more importantly, cemented him as Lopetegui’s first choice. What followed has been the kind of form that makes a decision look obvious in retrospect. Abunada was crowned QFA’s goalkeeper of the year in May on the back of a stellar season with Al Rayyan, adding to his growing reputation as a shot-stopper capable of dealing with close-range efforts coupled with the ability to play out from the back with composure. Lopetegui, it turns out, had seen something in him that five years of patience had not diminished. Qatar, in the World Cup, will hope he was right.