Lucas Neill has moved a step closer to the 2010 World Cup after a dramatic 1-0 win for Australia away to Bahrain on Wednesday night.
The Socceroos made it three wins from three in the final Asian zone qualifying stage after Mark Bresciano scored the only goal of the game with virtually the last kick. The home side had looked like earning a deserved point with Australia limited to half-chances before Bresciano's late breakthrough.
Having previously won in Uzbekistan and at home against Qatar, the Neill-skippered side are clear at the top of Group 1. The top two teams from the five-nation section will go through automatically to the finals in South Africa, with the team in third having a play-off chance. Australia reached the second round of the 2006 World Cup, before losing to Italy.