Brett Holman struck four minutes into injury-time to spare Australian blushes and give the Socceroos a 2-1 victory over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up on Monday.
Holman grabbed the winner after receiving a deft chip in the box from fellow midfielder Carl Valeri to lift more than 55,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground into a frenzy.
The last-gasp goal was a cruel ending for the All Whites who were the far more composed side and had sparked hopes of a stunning upset after a 16th-minute goal from Chris Killen.
With Tim Cahill failing to fire and three yellow cards in an abysmal first half, Pim Verbeek made a raft of substitutions after the break and was rewarded with more dynamism up front.
Dario Vidosic capitalised on a cruel deflection off Killen to steer the ball into the corner of the net for an equaliser in the 57th minute to lift the home side.
Australia reserve goalkeeper Brad Jones made a brilliant save in the 69th minute, parrying a Rory Fallon header from close range to deny the All Whites a second goal.
