Huynh Nhu (right) must protect the seeding spot for the HCMC Women's Club - Photo: TUAN HUU
Before this match, both Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club and the current runner-up Melbourne City had qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2025-2026 AFC Champions League Women's, only waiting to determine the top position in Group A.
"Queen" of Australia
Melbourne City Women's Club continued to demonstrate their inherent strength as runners-up when crushing Lion City Sailors 5-0 and Stallion Laguna 7-0. Not only do they have a strong attack, they have not conceded a single goal.
The strength of the championship candidate comes from the squad of 7 foreign players. Among them are 2 English central defenders, 1 American defender, 2 New Zealand members, 1 Nigerian and 1 Spanish. Coach Michael Matricciani has 3 players who scored 2 of the team's 12 goals.
With this strength, the reigning Australian champions of the 2024-2025 season are likely to reach the top of Group A. They are even considered a championship candidate after missing out last year when they lost to Wuhan Jiangda Women's Club on penalties with a score of 4-5.
Protect seed yield
Coach Nguyen Hong Pham of Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club hopes to have a good match with Melbourne City even though both teams have reached the quarter-finals. The goal of the host of Group A may be to get 1 point or not lose by a large margin to the "Queen of Australia" in the final match.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club is leading the group of second-placed teams with the best rankings with 6 points and a goal difference of +3. Right behind is Naegohyang Club with 6 points after 3 matches and a goal difference of +2. Meanwhile, the defending champion Wuhan Jiangda has only 1 point but has 2 matches left to play.
If they can maintain their current position, the HCMC Women's Club will enter the quarter-finals with the only seeding spot for the three best second-placed teams. In theory, this could help coach Doan Thi Kim Chi and her team fall into a bracket with weaker opponents in the next round and have a chance to continue to the semi-finals in the second season.
However, for now, the audience is looking forward to the Ho Chi Minh City Women's Club having a reasonable strategy and a good match against a strong team like Melbourne City Club on the evening of November 19 at Thong Nhat Stadium.
The quarter-finals are expected to take place in early 2026.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/afc-champions-league-nu-2025-2026-clb-nu-tp-hcm-dua-ngoi-dau-2025111910153328.htm
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