Kusini Yengi was the hero for Australia after scoring in the first minute and the 97th to help salvage a 2-2 draw away to Bahrain in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

The result extended manager Tony Popovic's unbeaten start with the Socceroos to four matches, although three of those have been draws.

Things got off to a great start for the visitors, going a goal up inside 40 seconds after Portsmouth forward Kusini Yengi nipped in to intercept an underhit back pass from Sayid Mahdi Baqer and find the net.

Yengi had the next moment of note after hitting the post on 61 minutes from a Riley McGree cross, before a poor touch let him down when well-placed three minutes later.

Australia were made to pay for not killing the game, when Mahdi Abduljabbar lobbed Mat Ryan from 45 yards to get Bahrain level in the 75th minute. It went from bad to worse two minutes later, when Abduljabbar got his second following a defensive mix-up between Ryan and Hayden Matthews.

But Yengi rescued his side deep into stoppage time, reacting quickest to bury a ricocheting ball in the six-yard box. The result was Australia's fourth draw in six matches and leaves them second in Group C on seven points, with teams from third to sixth – including fifth-placed Bahrain – all on six.

Tony Popovic has pledged to instil a new energy into Australia's play after replacing Graham Arnold as the Socceroos' head coach.

Arnold surprisingly resigned after six years in the role on Friday, following a poor start to Australia's 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.

A 1-0 defeat at home to Bahrain and a goalless draw in Indonesia in the September international break left the Socceroos fifth in the Asian World Cup qualification standings, with only the top two finishers getting automatic spots at the 48-team tournament. 

Former Crystal Palace centre-back Popovich, who won 58 caps for Australia between 1995 and 2006, says there is enough talent available to change their fortunes.

"Coaching the Socceroos is probably a dream come true," Popovic told reporters at an introductory news conference. "I look forward to the challenge. I'm excited by it. 

"The Socceroos are in a good position. This campaign hasn't started the best, but I know there's enough time, enough games.

"The team maybe looked a little bit flat. I don't think it'll take too much to change the way we play.

"We'll do it with energy, we'll do it with desire, and do it with speed and a dynamic type of play that I think the players will enjoy."

Since moving into management, Popovich has won A-League Premiership titles with Western Sydney Wanderers and Perth Glory, also leading the former to the AFC Champions League crown in 2014.

Expectations around the Australian national team have been heightened in recent years, with the side reaching five straight World Cups and advancing to the last 16 at Qatar 2022, escaping a group that contained Denmark and Tunisia. 

"Australia needs to be qualifying for World Cups," Popovich said. "Two times in the last five, we qualified automatically, it's not easy. But should we not aim for first spot? No, we should always aim to be the best.

"What follows from that is we expect more in managing qualifiers. That's not a bad thing. Expect more from me."