Huynh Nhu and HCMC Women's Club: The Scoring Problem in the AFC Women's Champions League

Kuala Lumpur, on an unremarkable September afternoon, the draw sent HCMC Women's Club into Group B alongside Hwacheon KSPO WFC, 4.25 SC, and East Bengal. No one clapped. No one sighed. Only glances exchanged in the AFC hall, where a team's fate is decided by small pieces of paper. I have witnessed too many draws to believe in randomness. Each slip carries a story, and this time the story begins with a number: 0. Two zeros in two knockout eliminations. This is HCMC Women's Club's third consecutive appearance in the continental arena. In year one, they reached the semi-finals. In year two, the quarter-finals. But in both eliminations, they failed to score: 0-2 and 0-3. It is a detail no one mentions in match reports, yet it haunts me most. Because it reveals a truth: this team can go deep, but when facing Asia's elite, they seem to lose their voice on the pitch. Group B is considered "quite tough" by media standards. Hwacheon KSPO WFC comes from South Korea, domestic champions. 4.25 SC comes from North Korea, a women's football powerhouse whose ecosystem produced last year's continental champion, Naegohyang. East Bengal comes from India, impressing in the preliminary round: 18 goals scored, none conceded. I want to talk about what no one sees: the trajectory of a team's heart. Over three years, HCMC Women's Club has followed a clear path - advancing further each year, yet stopping at the same boundary. That boundary is not tactics, not fitness, but the ability to score against superior opposition. Look at the preliminary-round data. 4.25 SC scored 29 goals in 3 matches, conceding 1. East Bengal scored 18, conceding none. These numbers impress, but I have followed Asian football long enough to know that preliminary rounds are where strong teams feast on weaker opposition. The real question: how will they play against an organized side like HCMC Women's Club? I recall a group-stage match last year, sitting in a Shanghai stadium, watching an East Asian team completely dominate a Southeast Asian side. Not because they had better individuals, but because they understood space better. They knew when to press, when to drop deep, when to keep the ball. That is what Southeast Asian teams often lack: patience in reading the game. HCMC Women's Club holds an advantage no other team in the group possesses: continental experience. This is their third participation, while Hwacheon KSPO and 4.25 SC are debutants. East Bengal is only in their second. That experience could prove decisive in tight matches. I have followed Huynh Nhu since she was a young player. She is not the fastest or most technically gifted, but she possesses something few Vietnamese players have: presence. When Huynh Nhu is on the pitch, those around her play with more confidence, move more intelligently. That is the quality of a true leader, and it will be vital in tense matches in India. But Huynh Nhu is also in the twilight of her career. She is no longer young, no longer able to run tirelessly. This means HCMC Women's Club needs contingency plans, young players who can replace her when necessary. This is a difficult puzzle for coach Doan Thi Kim Chi, who has led the team through two continental campaigns. But here is what I want to say, and it may surprise many: HCMC Women's Club's most important match is not against Hwacheon KSPO or 4.25 SC. It is against East Bengal. Because this year's format - 12 teams, 3 groups, top two plus two best third-placed teams advancing - creates a concrete opportunity. If HCMC can beat East Bengal, they will have 3 points and a positive goal difference. That could be enough to advance even if they lose both remaining matches. I have seen too many teams focus on the big opponents and forget that the "easy" matches are where fate is decided. East Bengal is not weak - 18 goals and no concessions in the preliminary round is a clear signal. But they are not an Asian powerhouse either. They are a team HCMC can beat if they play to their potential. In Asian women's football, the gap is widening. Japan, South Korea, China, and North Korea have built strong foundations with systematic training and abundant resources. Meanwhile, Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines are still developing, with limited resources and infrastructure. This gap cannot be closed overnight, but tournaments like the AFC Women's Champions League are where Southeast Asian teams learn and improve. HCMC Women's Club has proven they can compete continentally. Reaching the semi-finals in year one and quarter-finals in year two are respectable achievements. But to go further, they must solve the scoring problem against strong opponents. This is not just HCMC's issue; it is a shared challenge for Vietnamese women's football. Based on my experience following matches, I have noticed that Southeast Asian teams often struggle against East Asian sides in official tournaments. The cause lies not only in fitness or technique, but in approach. East Asian teams usually have clear tactical plans and greater discipline, while Southeast Asian teams often play on inspiration. This is not wrong, but it creates instability in important matches. Against 4.25 SC from North Korea, I believe HCMC must be extremely cautious. North Korean teams are known for their stamina, tactical discipline, and fighting spirit. They have no big stars, but they have a cohesive unit and a high-pressing style that is very uncomfortable. If HCMC loses the ball in midfield, they will pay. Hwacheon KSPO WFC, from South Korea, plays a different style. They control possession, move the ball quickly, and capitalize on set pieces. They are a tough opponent, but not unbeatable. HCMC can learn from how other Southeast Asian teams have played against Korean sides in the past. As I left Kuala Lumpur after the draw, I remembered a line I wrote in 2026: "In an anonymous moment, I find the whole meaning of the game." Perhaps, for HCMC Women's Club, the match against East Bengal will be that anonymous moment - unmentioned in tactical analyses, not considered a marquee fixture, yet decisive for their entire fate in this tournament. And when the ball rolls on Indian soil in November, I will think of Huynh Nhu, of her years of dedication, and of the question I always ask myself: are we looking at the right spaces on the pitch, or are we only looking at the stars? The Kazan night taught me that the highest peak is merely a fulcrum for the fall. But I also learned that the fall is not the end. It can be the beginning of something newer, more honest. For HCMC Women's Club, this tournament is not just a chance to go far; it is a chance to prove they can overcome themselves. And that, to me, matters more than any trophy. Every space on the pitch is an unspoken promise. The space Huynh Nhu leaves when she exits, the space young players must fill, the space between two football cultures where I stand. All these spaces are promises. And I believe that in November, we will witness those promises fulfilled. And as I stand between two football worlds - Vietnam and China - I realize that football is not just matches, goals, and trophies. Football is stories about people, about aspirations, about resilience. HCMC Women's Club is writing such a story. And I, as a writer, only wish to witness and record it.