"It was an exceptionally tough match, Auckland United displayed such resilience that impressed us, they are a good team,” said Wang.

“This is a historic moment and a historic stage. I believe that for women's football clubs worldwide, this is a stage of great significance.

“We all enjoyed it and hope that there will be more and more events like this, allowing women's football to develop better and faster globally."

It was a match which Wuhan Jiangda - in front of over 32,000 fans in the Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium - controlled from start to finish but found Auckland custodian Hannah Mitchell to be in fine form.

The longer the match went without the opening goal, the more pressure it heaped on the China PR side with extra time and penalties potentially looming against a New Zealand team growing in confidence with every shot blocked.

Head coach Chang Weiwei was proud to see his charges keep their intensity high throughout and is challenging his team to continue to improve as they start looking forward to Round 2 where they will face the winners of the CAF Women’s Champions League in December.

"The entire team displayed a strong fighting spirit and tactical execution, persevering through a high-pressure match,” said Chang.

“We firmly believe that Chinese and even Asian women's football will continue to advance through such a stage."

Photos: FIFA via Getty Images