A 1-1 draw away to Bulgaria might not look to be that great of a result, but for Republic of Ireland it is a massive one.
With seven games now played in Group 8, Ireland sit second in the table, just one point behind Italy and showing some of the best form that they have produced in years.
In fact, the last time that the Irish team played with such confidence and togetherness was when they reached the 2002 World Cup. So fans of The Boys In Green will be hoping that their good showing to date in this qualification campaign will end with a trip to next summer's World Cup.
A quick scan through the Irish team will leave many scratching their heads over the absence of players that would be considered household names. But there are more than they might think, if they look at Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Shay Given, Richard Dunne, and John O'Shea.
Although, having a team without star players is exactly what Giovanni Trapattoni has been aiming for. As Keane said in a press conference last week 'we win as a team and we lose as a team'. You can't build a better team ethos than that.
Ireland have not really thrilled the supporters in any of their games so far, except for a few spells in the draw against Italy, but international football is all about results - especially when trying to qualify for a tournament.
They will improve with the more the games that they play and with other players coming back. For the trip to Cyprus in September, they could potentially have Steve Finnan, Steven Reid, and Kevin Doyle available - all of whom were considered starters before picking up injuries.
So the team is going from strength to strength with many new faces involved in the squad and fighting for regular starting spots (Sean St Ledger, Caleb Folan). Plus with two friendly matches coming up, Trapattoni has vowed to take a closer look at some fringe players, which could provide him with even more players for his squad.
It has not been pretty and the game in Sofia on Saturday was not that entertaining, but Ireland remain on course to qualify for the World Cup and it is about time that other nations started to take them seriously.
Ireland are a good team that is getting better with each game. If they can continue progressing at the rate that they currently are, and hope for Italy to slip up, then they might just finish on top of Group 8.
The belief is still amongst the players - instilled by the manager - and it is starting to sink in with the fans too. It is becoming quite clear that Ireland have a real chance of making the World Cup.