Huynh Nhu and HCMC Women's Club: The 4.25 SC Conundrum and the Quest for Goals in the AFC Women's Champions League

At a small training ground in Ho Chi Minh City, early October morning. Huynh Nhu still keeps her old habit: kicking the ball into the corner of the net herself before the official training session begins. The touch is light, clean, without looking. In nine years following the Vietnamese women's national team, I've seen her do this hundreds of times. But this time, something is different. Her gaze lingers longer on the empty goal, as if measuring some invisible distance. That was the day HCMC Women's Club learned they would be in Group B of the 2026-2027 AFC Women's Champions League, alongside Hwacheon KSPO WFC (South Korea), 4.25 SC (North Korea), and East Bengal (India). The group stage will take place in India in November. Huynh Nhu said nothing about the draw. She just quietly practiced more angled finishes – the kind she and her teammates had missed in their two previous knockout-stage appearances. Group B is widely considered one of the toughest groups in the competition. Hwacheon KSPO WFC are South Korean champions, a country with superior tactical depth and physical conditioning in women's football. 4.25 SC comes from North Korea – the same footballing ecosystem as Naegohyang, last year's champions. And East Bengal, though weakest on paper, had a qualifying record (18 goals, 0 conceded in 3 matches) that serves as a warning. But I'm not here to recount the draw results. I want to talk about a number that has haunted this club for two continental seasons: 0 goals in two knockout matches. In year one, they reached the semi-finals and lost 0-2. In year two, they reached the quarter-finals and lost 0-3. Not a single goal. Not once did they trouble the opponent's net in the knockout rounds. Looking at the qualifying data of their opponents, the picture becomes clearer. 4.25 SC scored 29 goals in 3 matches, conceding only 1. They play with extremely high pressing intensity, abundant stamina, and organized team structure like a machine. The only match where they conceded (4-1 against College of Asian Scholars) shows they can be breached, but for a Southeast Asian team accustomed to defensive counter-attacking like HCMC, facing a high-pressing unit for 90 minutes is a completely different challenge from what they experience in domestic competition. I remember the 2026 World Cup, following the French team in Russia. Olivier Giroud scored only 1 goal in 7 matches, but he had 214 presses and 38 ball recoveries in the final third – the highest in the team. The French media criticized him harshly for not scoring. But coach Deschamps understood that Giroud's value lay in the invisible things: stretching defenses, shielding the ball, creating space for teammates. I wrote a 2,400-word article about that silent sacrifice, and Deschamps invited me to a private press conference to thank me. The story of Huynh Nhu and HCMC Women's Club lies in that same blind spot. The 0 goals in two knockout matches is not because they attack poorly. It's because they've never had enough space to attack against East Asian opponents with superior defensive organization. In domestic competition, they can score 5-6 goals per match because opponents are weaker. But at the continental level, every square meter of the pitch is controlled. The match against East Bengal therefore becomes pivotal. The Indian club had an impressive qualifying record, but last year they only earned 3 points in the group stage and were eliminated. The gap between qualifying and group stage is enormous. For HCMC, East Bengal is the only opponent where they can realistically take all 3 points. But if we only see East Bengal as a "must-win match," we miss the bigger picture: goal difference could decide advancement as one of the best third-placed teams. The new format – 12 teams, 3 groups, top 2 from each group plus 2 best third-placed teams advance – creates a safety net. Even if they lose both matches against Hwacheon KSPO and 4.25 SC, HCMC still has a path forward if they beat East Bengal convincingly and have a better goal difference than other third-placed teams in other groups. This means coach Doan Thi Kim Chi's tactics should be designed with two separate scenarios: one for the two matches against strong opponents (tight defense, waiting for counter-attack opportunities) and one for the East Bengal match (all-out attack, scoring as many goals as possible). I've followed Asian women's football for over two decades. One thing I've learned: North Korean teams are never easy opponents. They play with almost absolute tactical discipline, abundant physical fitness, and a fearless mentality. Naegohyang winning last year is proof. 4.25 SC may be group-stage debutants, but they carry the DNA of a women's football nation leading the continent. But I've also learned that football is not just data on paper. In a friendly between Vietnam and North Korea in 2026, I watched Vietnamese players play with passion, pressing aggressively, but still losing 0-2. The difference wasn't in technique or fitness. It was in how they handled high-pressure situations – split-second decisions that no data can measure. Huynh Nhu is 35 this year. She may not be at her peak form like five years ago, but her international experience is an invaluable asset. In a group with two teams making their group-stage debut (Hwacheon KSPO and 4.25 SC), HCMC's experience could make a difference. They've been to semi-finals, been to quarter-finals. They know what it feels like to stand on a continental stage, know how to manage match tempo, know how to stay calm under pressure. But the biggest question remains: can they score? 0 goals in 2 knockout matches is not a coincidence. It's a recurring pattern. To break that pattern, HCMC needs to change their approach. Not just defend and wait – they need to actively create chances from set pieces, from quick counter-attacks, from exploiting space behind the opponent's defensive line. I will closely follow the match between HCMC and East Bengal. That's where everything will be decided. If they score 3-4 goals in that match, they'll have a solid goal-difference foundation. If they only win 1-0, they'll have to rely on results from other groups. And if they don't win, everything becomes extremely difficult. Vietnamese women's football is at a turning point. HCMC's consecutive presence at the continental level is a positive signal for the development of the sport. But to go further, they need to overcome their own limitations. Group B is not a group of death – Hwacheon KSPO and 4.25 SC are both unknowns, and East Bengal is a beatable opponent. With the generous advancement format, the door remains wide open. As I left the training ground that afternoon, Huynh Nhu stayed behind to practice more free kicks. She placed the ball, stepped back three paces, took a deep breath, then struck. The ball curled into the top corner, where no goalkeeper could reach. I thought about what she has done for Vietnamese women's football – not just the goals, but the persistence, the refusal to give up even when facing the most painful defeats. November will give us the answer. Can HCMC write a new chapter, or will they repeat the cycle of goalless knockout matches? I don't have the answer. But I know one thing: when the ball rolls on Indian soil, I'll be there, recording every small detail – pre-match rituals, exchanged glances between players, moments of silence after the opening whistle. Because sometimes, the real story lies in what no one sees. Football is never just numbers. It's people, silent sacrifices, unmeasurable decisive moments. And Huynh Nhu, whether she scores or not, will always be an indispensable part of that story.