“We are very proud. We knew it was going to be a difficult match. We needed to have 100% focus,” said Matricciani. “To get the job done in a real professional manner, I felt the girls did an excellent job.”

Victory set up a showdown with Korea Republic's Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women's FC, with the semi-finals and final to be played in a centralised venue in May.

Their attacking play tested Taichung’s defensive setup, particularly against a deep-lying back five, which Matricciani acknowledged was a challenge.

“The discipline that the girls showed in continuing to try and play our game and not change was key. We knew that transition play was their strength, and we didn’t want to leave ourselves open. A big compliment to all the girls and how disciplined they were in their roles today.”

Captain Rebekeh Stott echoed Matricciani's sentiments, stating that Melbourne City’s hard work had certainly paid off.

“It’s a huge step in the right direction for us,” said the New Zealander. “Obviously, we’ve been working very hard and to get that result is massive. 

“We’ve got a big (A-League Women) game on Wednesday and then Sunday, so we know that we’ve got to put our heads down and keep working hard.  But yes, we’re going to enjoy this victory and look forward to getting into the semis.”

Despite defeat, Taichung head coach Lu Kuei-hua found positives in her team’s performance and praised Melbourne City’s quality.

“I would like to acknowledge that Melbourne City is a very, very formidable team," said Lu. The level of competitiveness, and also the quality is a whole different level so it's a great experience for us.”

“During halftime, I told the team that they were playing very well defensively. That built up their confidence to press forward. And that's why that caused a lot of opportunities for us to be aggressive on the offensive side.”