Playing on a wet and muddy pitch after heavy rain posed challenges for Huynh Nhu and her teammates, even though they were rated significantly higher than Odisha.

In reality, the women's team from Ho Chi Minh City did not perform exceptionally against Odisha, a team that had suffered a heavy defeat of 0-17 in their opening match. However, with their higher skill level, Huynh Nhu and her team achieved their goal of earning all three points.

Both of Ho Chi Minh City's goals in the first half featured Huynh Nhu's contributions. The Trà Vinh-born forward assisted Kim Yen, who headed the ball into the net in the 2nd minute, then scored herself just before halftime to lead 2-0.

In the second half, despite dominating the play and creating numerous chances, Huynh Nhu and her teammates could only add one more goal during stoppage time. However, they allowed Jennifer to narrow the score to 1-2 for Odisha earlier in the half.

With this victory, Ho Chi Minh City FC joins Urawa Reds Diamonds, who easily defeated Taichung Blue Whale (Taiwan, China) 2-0, in advancing to the knockout stage. The final match between the two teams will only determine their rankings in Group C.

Having secured advancement with one match to spare, Coach Nguyen Hong Pham stated, “I am not worried about the team's results after the first half. The condition of the pitch affected Ho Chi Minh City's preferred playing style.

"I am satisfied with gaining the three points, and no one was injured. In the final match against Urawa Red Diamonds, we will strive to showcase the capabilities of the entire team and demonstrate our quality. I am very pleased to see our young players mature, and women's football in Ho Chi Minh City has a good succession plan.”

Duy Nguyen