Fifteen years ago the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan lost a soccer match 20-0 to Kuwait in an Asian Cup qualifier in what surely was one of the most embarrassing moments in the country's limited soccer history. After all, the country's national sport is archery.Nobody in Bhutan actually cares about soccer. Players are only paid approximately $150 per month. People couldn't even watch soccer on television until the 1990s, after the ban on television in the country had been lifted.
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The team's performances haven't helped gain a fan base either. Prior to Thursday, Bhutan had won just three matches in its history, and was ranked 209th—last—in the world by FIFA.But on the first day of qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia—yup, it's already started, only 242 days after Germany's win against Argentina in the 2014 final—Bhutan stunned 175th-ranked Sri Lanka 1-0 in Colombo.FIFA President Sepp Blatter called it a "wonderful, historic" moment on Twitter.The teams will play the second leg on March 17 in Bhutan.Tshering Dorji's scored the lone goal in the 84th minute. The team celebrated by going to the KFC next to the hotel.