Brunei DPMM FC had to do it the hard way but they managed to stretch their lead at the top of the Great Eastern Yeo's S.League table to six points after a 2-1 win over Courts Young Lions on Tuesday night.
Having gone ahead five minutes before halftime through a Boris Raspudic strike, it then looked as though the Bruneian outfit would drop points again when Shameer Aziq equalised for the hosts in the 74th minute.
But deep into injury-time, Rosmin Kamis popped up with a captain's goal to break Young Lions hearts and get his side back to winning ways.
It should have been a far more comfortable evening for the visitors, given the amount of chances they created but failed to convert. It was the same story in last week's 0-0 draw with Albirex Niigata (S).
They did eventually break the deadlock in the 40th minute when Raspudic made no mistake in finishing from four yards out after Rafael Ramazotti had broken free inside the box and slid a cross into his path.
Yet, DPMM's failure to add a second meant their opponents were always in the game.
The hosts duly levelled the scores with 16 minutes left on the clock.
Latching onto Afiq Noor's incisive pass, Shameer Aziq charged towards goal. Despite finding himself with an acute angle, he managed to squeeze his shot past Wardun Yussof and into the top corner.
Nonetheless, just when it looked as though a draw was likely, Shahrazen Said found space inside the box and forced the ball past the onrushing Syazwan Buhari. That left Rosmin with the easiest of finishes to seal the three points for his side.
DPMM boss Steve Kean admitted Tuesday's victory was a crucial one, but conceded his side could ill afford to continue their wasteful ways in front of goal.
"This could turn out to be a very important win for us, especially when some of the teams around us have been dropping points," he said.
"However, we again had a number of excellent chances that we failed to convert, and that's something we're going to have to address."
Meanwhile, Young Lions coach Juergen Raab said: "It's hard to describe how disappointing it is to lose in this manner.
"I thought in the first half we perhaps showed too much respect to our opponents, but the way we fought back in the second half was incredible."
Courts Young Lions: Syazwan Buhari, Fadli Kamis, Faris Azienuddin, Amirul Adli, Safirul Sulaiman, Ammirul Emmran (Nur Na'iim Ishak 54'), Afiq Noor, Shameer Aziq (Shamil Sharif 90'), Shahfiq Ghani, Adam Swandi, Danial Razali (Farhan Rahmat 73').
Brunei DPMM FC: Wardun Yussof, Helmi Zambin, Boris Raspudic, Brian McLean, Sairol Sahari, Rosmin Kamis, Maududi Hilmi, Joe Gamble, Azwan Ali (Shahrazen Said 66'), Paulo Sergio, Rafael Ramazotti.