Uzbekistan qualified for its debut soccer World Cup on Thursday night, becoming the first ever Central Asian country to make it to the sport’s global showpiece.

The match June 5 that saw Uzbekistan qualify for the World Cup was nothing to write home about – a 0-0 tie against the United Arab Emirates, played in Abu Dhabi. The point the Uzbek squad received from that lackluster result, however, was enough to clinch second place in its group in the Asian regionals, earning a trip to North America next year.

In Group C, a first-half penalty from Ole Romeny in Jakarta was enough to end China’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 2002, when the tournament was staged in Asia for the first time and co-hosts South Korea and Japan didn’t have to go through continental qualifying.