It came on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Euro 2004 runners-up Portugal in Vaduz and ended a streak of 20 consecutive defeats in World Cup qualifiers stretching back to their debut in April 1996.

A tiny country with just 33,000 inhabitants and squeezed between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein is better known in sport for producing Alpine skiers like Andreas and Hanni Wenzel and Willi Frommelt who were Olympic Games regulars in the 1970s and 1980s.

But the nation's footballers have been on a slippery slope of their own and before Saturday's win, achieved from being 2-0 down at half-time, they had lost their two Group Three openers, 2-1 to Estonia and 7-0 against Slovakia.

Their record in European Championship qualifiers is slightly better, however, having played in 1996, 2000 and 2004 and recording one win - 2-1 against Azerbaijan in October 1998.

They can also 'boast' three draws against the Republic of Ireland, Hungary and Macedonia.

But the FIFA rankings tell an embarrassing tale for Portugal.