Vidmar was pleased to see his charges come through a difficult match in testing conditions where just over 33,000 fans packed into the Xi’an International Football Center, with the Olyroos completing their campaign with 20 goals scored and none conceded to maintain their record of reaching every Finals.

“We came here knowing it was going to be a difficult match against a very good team,” said Vidmar. “We really fought hard in difficult conditions, so we’re very proud.”

Echoing the thoughts of Vidmar, Vicente was also equally proud of his players who went into the match knowing that a defeat would end their hopes of reaching Saudi Arabia 2026.

“Before the Qualifiers, I asked my players to bring Chinese football fans some happiness because Chinese fans have had few opportunities to feel happy,” said Vicente.

“Today, my players finished our mission. We fought like 11 Terracotta Warriors on the pitch.”

China PR - set for the sixth Finals - will bid to advance from the group stage for the first time.