AFC Women’s Champions League Group A: Lion City Sailors FC (SGP) 0-2 Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC (VIE)
Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC left it late to defeat Lion City Sailors FC 2-0 in their AFC Women’s Champions League™ 2025/26 Group A tie on Sunday to confirm their knockout stage spot.
17/11/2025 10:07:27
Ho Chi Minh City put Singapore’s Sailors under pressure from the opening minute with Tran Nguyen Bao’s long-range effort taking a deflection and looping into the path of the goalmouth but keeper Izairida Shakira was quick to intervene.
The game took an exciting turn in the 13th minute when Tatiana Mason tried to catch Shakira off her line, only to send her long-range effort whizzing past the right post while at the other end, Ami Takeuchi forced Ho Chi Minh custodian Tran Thi Kim Thanh into making a low save.
It was a different Sailors side from the one that had conceded five against Melbourne City as the Singapore outfit kept Ho Chi Minh City on their toes on the counter-attack but the Vietnamese outfit continued to push and came close to finding the net in the 33rd minute when Shakira misjudged Huynh Nhu’s deep cross, with the ball just going wide of the left post.
Sailors had another narrow escape in the first half stoppage time when Nhu’s free-kick forced Shakira into action, with the custodian deflecting the ball onto the right post.
Ho Chi Minh City stayed on top of their game after the break with Sakura Yoshida sending a delightful through ball for Cu Thi Huynh Nhu but the midfielder saw her close-range effort in the 59th minute blocked by Shakira before bouncing off the left post.
The Vietnamese side were left frustrated again nine minutes later when Phan Thi Trang struck the left post following Cu Thi Huynh Nhu’s square pass.
The goal finally arrived in the 84th minute when Shakira misjudged Tran Nguyen Bao Chau’s looping shot, with the ball bouncing over the Singapore keeper and settling in the back of the net.
Thua K’ then added Ho Chi Minh’s second in the third minute of stoppage time after lobbing over the onrushing Shakira to seal the win for the Vietnamese side.
