The 55th minute strike wasn’t enough to drag Vietnam to a maiden Olympic appearance – with their 2-1 defeat on the night part of a 7-1 aggregate loss – but it did provide evidence of significant progress for the Southeast Asian side.

They had been beaten 8-0 by the Australians less than two years ago, suffered a resounding 11-0 defeat back in 2015, and never had found the net against the Matildas at senior level, with Nhu’s delicate long-range strike earning the diminutive forward a slice of history.

Beaten 5-0 in the first leg in Newcastle five days earlier, Vietnam looked to be headed for another heavy defeat when they went 2-0 down before the half-hour mark, but the Southeast Asians rallied after half-time, scoring a first ever goal against the Matildas via captain Huynh Nhu’s 55th minute strike from distance.

The 2-1 result was a far cry from the 8-0 defeat Vietnam suffered at the hands of Australia less than two years ago, and Duc Chung said his side’s showing was a testament to their spirit.

The Matildas overcame a number of off-field complications, including playing Wednesday’s final match in a closed stadium due to Covid-19 precautions, but they were rarely tested on the pitch, going five games unbeaten to secure a second successive Olympic berth.

Early goals from Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso, added to Australia’s 5-0 first leg lead, before Vietnamese skipper Huynh Nhu produced a moment for the hosts to savour by spectacularly lobbing Lydia Williams from distance 10 minutes after the interval.

The Matildas win means Australia will be represented in both men’s and women’s football at an Olympic Games for the first time since 2004, with China PR and Korea Republic to compete for the final Asian ticket to Tokyo 2020 in the coming months.

Asako Takakura’s side had more possession and more shots at goal, but the Americans sealed the title at the round-robin event thanks to goals from Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press and Lindsday Horan.

For the second time in the tournament, Japan found the net through mercurial forward Mana Iwabuchi, who reduced the margin to 2-1 in the 58th minute, but the Asian champions were unable to salvage a positive result.

Nadeshiko star Mana Iwabuchi scored a sensational volley to level the match just before half-time, but two second half goals from Spanish youngster Lucia Garcia sealed the match and ended Japan’s five-game winning streak.

Japan will look to bounce back in their second match against England on Sunday, before facing the World Number One United States in their final match on Wednesday.

In Thursday’s other match, goals from Christen Press and Carli Lloyd helped the United States to defeat England 2-0.

White’s strike secured a 1-0 victory for Phil Neville’s side, putting Japan out of contention to win the round-robin tournament, which will conclude on Wednesday.

In an evenly fought match, Manchester City’s White emerged from the bench to convert the winner with seven minutes remaining, providing a much-needed boost for an English side which has won just two of their previous nine fixtures.