Put under pressure by Japan despite playing on home soil, Australia had to show determination and character to triumph, traits which the 34-year-old Behich felt they produced throughout the match at the Perth Stadium. 

“When that final whistle went, it was a great feeling,” said Behich. “It was a tough game, we knew we had to grind it out.

“The boss (Tony Popovic) said at half-time, no matter how tough, if we stick to it, we’ll get our opportunity. Fortunately enough, it fell for me. My right has been kind to me in the last few days, a back-heel goal in the A-League , then managing to hit the back of the net again."

“We’ve had a long campaign and we worked so hard. We had a change of coach and it’s never easy but the group that we have and all the boys that have come in every camp - the mentality is second to none. So I think we deserve to go to the World Cup once again.”

The win means Australia will go into Tuesday's tie against Saudi Arabia needing to avoid a defeat by five clear goals to confirm their spot at the Finals.

Hajime Moriyasu opted for a much-changed squad, with Japan having already secured qualification, but the head coach was disappointed to lose their unbeaten record. 

"I think it's a very disappointing result,” said Moriyasu. “Although we had a lot of lesser experienced players featuring in today’s match, they gave it their all to win."

“We had a good preparation, so it's very disappointing that in the end the result wasn’t to our expectations. No matter who plays, the Japanese national team fights to win. 

“We were undefeated in the final qualifying round, so I would have liked to keep it that way, but that is over now, so we will make the best possible preparations so that we can finish off the campaign with a win at home.”