TROY Parrott was Ireland's leading man as he seized the hero's role in a frenzied finale.
The hosts had lacked less punch than a Will Smith slap as gobsmacked fans watched their team produce a show-stopping four disallowed goals at the Aviva Stadium.
But in the seventh minute of injury time, with virtually the last kick of the game, Parrott took centre stage.
Moments earlier, Dziugas Bartkus had denied the 20-year-old's powerful effort.
But Parrott - who spoke last week of how he had matured as a player - responded with an unstoppable winner to send the punters home happy.
After the Oscars glitz and glamour of facing Belgium, tonight's fare against lowly Lithuania was more an audition for a gritty, unlovable Indie movie.
Until Parrott stole the screen, the winner of the best male category was a tie between Matt Doherty - the only regular Premier League starter in Ireland's line-up - Nathan Collins and Chiedozie Ogbene.
Ogbene would have traded the gong for the flag to have stayed down on at least one of his two disallowed goals.
It was an audition for some players nonetheless ahead of whatever Nations League fixtures await and Stephen Kenny will be disappointed that it took so long to find a winner, even if the result extends the unbeaten run to eight.
Beforehand, Kenny had called for his side to score more goals, having managed 22 over the past 12 months.
Given Lithuania's form, that seemed a realistic demand, even if Kenny mixed things up more than expected by changing more than half of the line-up from the weekend's 2-2 draw.
A frustrating search for the breakthrough ensued. On no less than four occasions, Ireland wheeled off in celebration, believing they had it.
New sensation Ogbene finished well from Ryan Manning's cross in the ninth minute, only to be rightly flagged for offside.
That should have been the cue for men in green to step into starring roles, but until the finale this was like a re-run of some of Ireland's more listless performances against lesser opponents.
Then, in the 54th minute, Conor Hourihane's low shot hit the back of the net from Doherty's centre, but Callum Robinson and Will Keane were standing offside right in front of Lithuania's keeper Dziugas Bartkus.
Hourihane and Keane were two of the six players drafted in and they didn't enhance their prospects.
Normally a strong point, Hourihane's set piece delivery was poor, while Keane was ineffective up front in his first start.
Without Josh Cullen and Jeff Hendrick - the latter did come on late - Ireland mostly lacked drive and rhythm.
Doherty almost provided it all himself when he broke through, only for his shot to be saved.
Kenny threw on veteran performer James McClean and sparky young gun Parrott and they combined for Ogbene to fire home again, only for replays to show McClean had strayed offside.
Late on, Scott Hogan also had the ball in the net, only to be called back for offside.
It was Parrott, finally, who lit up the show.
For the manager, there was at least solace in his performance and in that of giant defender Collins, who never stopped piling forward, and in the return of Dara O'Shea after his injury problems.
But this won't be a rewatchable in the years to come.
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