Queensland Reds winger Filipo Daugunu broke Western Force hearts with a match-winning try on the siren to hand the Perth club its first loss of the Super Rugby Pacific season.
With time almost up, acting Reds captain Fraser McReight turned down a penalty shot at goal that would have levelled the scores and likely forced 'super point' extra time.
Instead the visitors opted for a lineout and the gamble paid off handsomely as Daugunu used his initiative to pick and go from a ruck and burrow his way over for a 28-24 triumph on Saturday.
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Filipo Daugunu of the Reds celebrates a try. Getty
Daugunu had returned to HBF Park after passing a HIA early in the contest.
The Force are now 2-1 after winning their first two games in thrillers while the Reds are 2-0 with a bye under their belt from round one.
Flanker Carlo Tizzano was again outstanding for the Force, scoring two tries and winning his head-to-head battle with Wallabies teammate McReight.
"The Western Force won't really be able to work out how they have not won that game," Morgan Turinui said on Stan Sport.
"Sixty per cent territory, 58 runs in the opposition 22. They did a lot of things right, it's a very good Western Force team.
"They're going to have a good season. The Reds just found a way. They were brave in their decision at the end to not go, 'we'll take three'. They wanted to win."
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Reds halfback Tate McDermott, who captained Queensland before being subbed off, was outstanding with his dynamic running game.
"Tate had a massive game, a massive impact," Reds coach Les Kiss told Stan Sport.
"That's where I was probably disappointed. He made so many inroads and set us up for so many things, but we just didn't have that quality ending to those opportunities. Tate epitomises what we're about.
"We're never beaten, and he just finds a way to get yourself back into the game."
Reds centre Josh Flook, who scored two tries, left the field with a hamstring injury.
"That may cause a concern, for sure. We'll just have to assess that overnight," Kiss said.
The Reds now head to Christchurch to play the Crusaders while the Force travel to Sydney to take on the NSW Waratahs.
"Bitterly disappointing," Force coach Simon Cron said.
"We need to be better there. We were in a great position to seal that game and we just didn't do it. We started kicking to the middle of the field, chipping the ball away, just a little bit of panic there rather than staying composed."
Cecilia Smith of the Force passes the ball. Getty
Earlier on Saturday, the Force came from behind to pull off a thrilling 29-29 Super Rugby Women's draw with the ACT Brumbies in Perth.
Force substitute Samantha Treherne scored a try in the 79th minute before Nicole Ledington nailed a sideline conversion to level the scores.
Brumbies playmaker Faitala Moleka then had a chance to snatch victory after the siren but her penalty attempt from nearly 40 metres out was struck wide.
"Pretty disappointed," Force coach Dylan Parsons said.
"We knew it was going to be on us to control the game. We just didn't do that for periods of the game. The Brumbies were really gritty and stayed in the fight.
"The Brumbies probably deserved to win. We got out of jail and two competition points. We highlighted discipline in the sheds; 13 penalties, eight at the breakdown. We didn't work hard enough, earlier enough, and it put us under pressure to make bad decisions."