Perth Glory kept its top two finish aims on track with a 2-1 victory Glory coach Berndt Stange called "lucky" against last year's champions, South Melbourne, at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday.
The win gives impetus to Glory's title chances, but the loss drops South to the ranks of this season's also-rans - its Finals hopes disappearing like the wafts of smoke which drifted across the ground late in the game from the far-side catering stand.
Stange was sure coming into the game that his talented team would earn at least a draw. "We were at full strength. "We were at full strength. All our players were back from Olyroo and other duties, and suspensions. I was very confident to pick up a point today. We played for a draw in the second half, and we had a lucky win," he said after the We played for a draw in the second half, and we had a lucky win," he said after the match.
The good luck Stange referred to was the fact that Glory's winner didn't arrive until deep into second-half added time, after Glory had been forced to defend desperately, when Alistair Edwards netted his second goal from a free-kick which bounced over South goalkeeper Chris Jones' dive and into the net.
For long periods of the game, Glory's defence was under siege. South launched waves of attacking possession football in its attempt to gain the victory which would have kept its season alive.
Fewer than half of the players on the field had touched the ball before Perth had scored the opening goal, barely three minutes in. Scott Miller had made space up the right after breaking up a South advance. Miller cut inside, then passed to Alistair Edwards who was making a supporting run to his left and in space. The experienced Glory striker placed his shot across Jones and inside the far post.
"It was a disappointing goal because it came from our mistake," said South coach Ange Postecoglou after the game. "But what was more disappointing was that we got nothing out of a game that I thought we totally dominated."
"Tonight's performance wasn't indicative of our season, but the result was," he said.
Going behind meant that once again this season, South needed to chase the game.
Michael Curcija had the best of the early opportunities to bring South Melbourne back into the game midway through the half. Fausto De Amicis had picked up a loose Glory pass mid-pitch, and sent an early through-ball to the speedy Olyroo, beating the Glory off-side trap in the process. Curcija sped goalwards, but Perth goalkeeper Jason Petkovic held his nerve, and when Curcija let loose his shot, it went to the outside of the near-post.
Jim Tsekinis, coming on just after the hour for the tiring Paul Trimboli, also had an opportunity shortly after his introduction, when he ghosted clear to meet De Amicis' cross, beating Petkovic in the air, but heading wide.
But it was a Goran Lozanovski free-kick special which produced the equaliser midway through the second-half.
Sustained South pressure ended with a diagonal ball being played to Kiwi Vaughan Coveny who was bundled off the ball as he raced goalwards. As the free-kick was to be taken from 25 metres and slightly to the right, this was Lozanovski territory.
Lozanovski's intent was not disguised, and his sizzling shot sped around the wall and past Petkovic's despairing dive.
Stange was sanguine about conceding a goal in these circumstances. "You can't do anything (about it)," he said. "We had Con Boutsianis (doing similar things for Glory). It was a fantastic goal. It was a fantastic goal. After it, I thought we started to struggle."
Indeed South's pressure was unrelenting, but the Glory defence was resolute, being marshalled skilfully by Garth Naven, playing a captain's role.
But there were moments of fragility still, including when Nick Orlic joined the attack and shot from deep inside the penalty-area, only for the ball to ricochet off-target.
Anthony Magnacca, brought in off the bench for the tiring Curcija, raced through late in the game, and only a smart diving save at his feet by Petkovic protected Glory. Magnacca later laid a ball off for Steve Panopoulos whose shot only just cleared the bar from a similar position as his levelling goal against Adelaide City Force in the mid-week catch-up game.
But Glory grabbed all three points in added time from Edwards' 20 metre free-kick directly in front of goal.
With time fast running out, Con Blatsis had a glimmer of an opportunity to level with South's last attack of the night after a Tsekinis pass, but his shot across the face of the goal went wide of the far post.
"We finished third last year, and we'll try to do better this year. If you sign a contract for Perth Glory, you have to win the Premiership - there's so much pressure in Perth with the (expectations of the) fans. With three home games and two away, we should finish in the top two now," said Stange.