Germany manager Joachim Low watched on nervously as his experimental team held on to beat Australia 3-2 in an edgy Confederations Cup group opener on Monday.
The world champions did not bring the likes of Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller with them to Russian Federation, but Low's experimental team proved to be more-than-adequate replacements for this test as Lars Stindl, captain Julian Draxler and Leon Goretzka all found the net.
Germany then notched up around a dozen unanswered chances without ever managing to establish a cushion.
"In the next game, if we don't get the three points, it's all over so it's a vital, vital game for us".
"One thing we won't underestimate is their ability to play the kind of football they've been renowned for".
The ex-Everton midfielder, 37, is just three short of winning his 100th cap - a milestone he could reach in the three Group B games against Germany, Cameroon and Chile. On the other hand, this might be the best chance for Australia to win a world tournament so they will be giving their all.
"First half they were too good for us, and we struggled to get control of the game, " said Australia coach Ange Postecoglou.
"It's a loss and it falls on me".
With an average age of 24 years and four months, Germany have the most youthful squad of the eight Confederations Cup teams.
Australian sportspeople have never been satisfied with losing, but there was perhaps a time when the Socceroos took some solace from a heroic defeat against a traditional football world power.
Cahill - Australia's all-time leading scorer - had little time to influence the contest with Germany, thrown into the fray in the 86th minute.
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And it didn't take the scratch line-up long to click as Lars Stindl latched onto a pass from Brandt to open the scoring with just five minutes on the clock.
At the end of the match Germany on the counter was much closer to the fourth goal than Australia to a sensational draw.
Australia barely escaped their own half in the opening 30 minutes, but they eventually started to build some momentum.
Low's side continued to dominate play after their early opener and Sandro Wagner almost doubled their lead in the 16th minute, sending a diving header inches wide at the far post following Goretzka's pinpoint cross, before the Hoffenheim man fired just wide again minutes later after beating the offside trap.
It was not to last.
An out-of-sorts Massimo Luongo lunged at man-of-the-match Goretzka in the box and Draxler's penalty ensured Germany went into halftime ahead once more.
And Germany extended their lead with a copybook move in the 48th minute.
A now-obligatory review from the Video Assistant Referees found no offside but replays appeared to confirm that Juric had handled Rogic's shot before Leno's error, but the goal stood.
Despite the odds firmly in the Germans' favour, Australia got a goal back and once again, had Leno to thank for.
World-class goalkeeper Neuer is recovering from foot surgery, so Bayer Leverkusen's shot-stopper Bernd Leno is tasked with keeping Australia's attack at bay.
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