Whether Zimbabwe's battling 2-2 draw with Algeria in their opening Group B clash at the 2017 African Nations Cup was a flash in the pan or a sign of genuine quarterfinal credentials will be put to the test against pool favourites Senegal in Franceville on Thursday (19h00 GMT).
The Warriors were at times sublime against the much more fancied North African side, but as was the pre-tournament worry, some naivety in defence meant they could not turn one point into three.
But it was still a good start and now they face the top-ranked African side according to FIFA, and one which rather bumbled to a 2-0 win over Tunisia in their opener.
Zimbabwe coach Callisto Pasuwa is confident his side can win a quarterfinal place and says the Algeria result told him a lot about his side in this competition.
"We are planning for Senegal now and remember they are very physical. They are one of the best teams in Africa," Pasuwa told reporters.
"We saw our weaknesses when we played this game [against Algeria], but we also saw our strengths. We have to utilise the strengths that we have as a team. We will then build on that strength going forward.
"Then on the weaknesses, we will have to work on them when we train for the next game."
Zimbabwe have been rocked by a hamstring injury to striker Knowledge Musona, who they hope will be fit for their final pool match against Tunisia.
The loss of the KV Oostende forward just 10 minutes into the Algeria game was a huge blow for Pasuwa, one which forced him to change his tactical plans.
"As you know Musona has been one of our regular players, scoring goals," he said. "To pull him out in the early stages of the game, it was something else when we look at how we had planned."
Fortunately he has no shortage of options, with one of Matthew Rusike, Cuthbert Malajila or Tendai Ndoro likely to come into the starting line-up, though there is also the pacey Evans Rusike.
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For Senegal this is a test also. They have often gone into Nations Cup finals with a top billing, only to disappoint their supporters. Having been somewhat fortunate to defeat Tunisia 2-0, they now need a strong, composed and clinical performance to prove their star quality.
"I said before the start of the tournament that there is no small team at this level," said their coach, Aliou Cisse. "Against Algeria, Zimbabwe showed how good they are and we will not take them for granted.
"Zimbabwe players have played together a lot. They understand each other very well, such that the match against them will be a very difficult one. From what we have seen so far, I think it points to an interesting match between Senegal and Zimbabwe.
"We are not under-estimating them, we have to prepare the way we prepared for the Tunisia match."
