diff --git a/test/parallel/test-tls-friendly-error-message.js b/test/parallel/test-tls-friendly-error-message.js
index b52918be27ac9b..4ae9d3f3f956d4 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-tls-friendly-error-message.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-tls-friendly-error-message.js
@@ -31,14 +31,15 @@ const tls = require('tls');
 const key = fixtures.readKey('agent1-key.pem');
 const cert = fixtures.readKey('agent1-cert.pem');
 
-tls.createServer({ key, cert }, common.mustCall(function(conn) {
-  conn.end();
+tls.createServer({ key, cert }).on('connection', common.mustCall(function() {
+  // Server only receives one TCP connection, stop listening when that
+  // connection is destroyed by the client, which it should do after the cert is
+  // rejected as unauthorized.
   this.close();
 })).listen(0, common.mustCall(function() {
   const options = { port: this.address().port, rejectUnauthorized: true };
   tls.connect(options).on('error', common.mustCall(function(err) {
     assert.strictEqual(err.code, 'UNABLE_TO_VERIFY_LEAF_SIGNATURE');
     assert.strictEqual(err.message, 'unable to verify the first certificate');
-    this.destroy();
   }));
 }));