Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung picked up a loose ball and fired an angled shot past Japan goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki in the sixth minute at Saitama Stadium to give his side an early lead. Park Chu-young doubled the advantage in the first minute of stoppage time in the second half, scoring with a penalty after being fouled in the box.

“We didn't lose our composure despite playing in front of a sellout crowd and that was why we won,” South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo said.

Japan's best chance came in the 76th minute when Catania forward Takayuki Morimoto rifled a shot from the edge of the area that was saved by Jung Sung-ryeong.

“We don't play well when we are down a goal and will have to play better in the first half,” Japan coach Takeshi Okada said. “Losing to South Korea twice in a year is not good enough and I take responsibility for that but there is nothing we can do but go forward.” Both teams depart for pre-World Cup training camps in Europe this week.

Japan will play England in Austria on May 30 and Ivory Coast in Switzerland on June 4 before arriving in South Africa. The South Korean team will leave Japan on Tuesday for a training camp in Austria and friendlies against Belarus on May 30 and European champion Spain on June 3.

Meanwhile in Melbourne, Brett Holman struck four minutes into injury-time to spare Australian blushes and give an undisciplined Socceroos a 2-1 victory over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up on Monday.

Holman grabbed the winner after receiving a deft chip in the box from fellow midfielder Carl Valeri to lift more than 55,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground into a frenzy.

The last-gasp goal was a cruel ending for the All Whites who were the far more composed side and had sparked hopes of a stunning upset after a 16th-minute goal from Chris Killen.

It was an undeserved victory for the Socceroos, according to Australia coach Pim Verbeek, who slammed midfielders Vince Grella and Tim Cahill for two brutal first half tackles that sent All White Leo Bertos off the field.

"I think in the World Cup that's probably two red cards, so it's a good lesson," Verbeek told reporters.

"I cannot accept this... the players know it ... you cannot afford to go into whatever game and make tackles like that." Australia, disorganized in defense and messy in midfield, responded with what can only be described as petulance.

Three yellow cards in 10 minutes - the second a sickening studs-up tackle from Grella into Bertos's shin - capped off arguably the worst half of football the Socceroos had played in recent memory.

Grella and Cahill, whose floating leg caught Bertos below the knee and sent him to the ground, were dragged along with ineffective midfielder Mark Bresciano at half-time as Verbeek, clearly impatient, made a raft of substitutions.

He was rewarded with more dynamism up front.

Dario Vidosic capitalized on a cruel deflection off Killen to steer the ball into the corner of the net for an equalizer in the 57th minute to lift the home side.

Australia reserve goalkeeper Brad Jones made a brilliant save in the 69th minute, parrying a Rory Fallon header from close range to deny the All Whites a second goal.

"If we played the World Cup in three or four days, I should get worried, but we still have three weeks so we're still on track," Dutchman Verbeek said ahead of the June 11-July 11 finals in South Africa where Australia face Serbia, Ghana and Germany in Group D.

"I don't think (we deserved the win) ... 1-1 was more than enough, I think."