Vietnam's football coach directly points out the reason for the 0-3 loss in the Asian tournament

Coach Nguyen Hong Pham admits the disparity between TP.HCM Club and Naegohyang Club in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League 2025/26.

On the afternoon of March 28th, TP.HCM Women's Club officially bid farewell to the AFC Champions League after losing 0-3 to Naegohyang Club (North Korea) in the quarter-finals. This result was not too surprising as the opponent was considered much stronger than the Vietnamese representative.

From the very first minutes, Naegohyang quickly imposed their game through ball control and well-organized attacks. The North Korean team continuously pressed forward, forcing TP.HCM Women's Club to retreat into deep defense. Only towards the end of the first half did Naegohyang score the opening goal, before adding two more goals in the second half to secure a 3-0 victory.

Speaking after the match, TP.HCM Women's Club coach Nguyen Hong Pham shared: “Congratulations to Naegohyang for winning,” he said. “I want to thank my players for performing well despite difficult weather conditions. Naegohyang was physically stronger than us, but we are satisfied with our technical performance.”

Evaluating the match situation, Coach Hong Pham added: “In the first half, during the initial 40 minutes when we still had energy, we played well. After conceding the first goal and in the second half, our stamina dropped and we couldn't compete anymore.”

On the other side, Coach Ri Yu Il did not rush to celebrate after securing a spot in the semi-finals. This strategist shared: “The semi-finals will be more difficult because the opponents are stronger, and we must return to training and improve to perform at the required higher level.”

Accordingly, in the semi-finals, Naegohyang Club will face one of two strong opponents, which is the reigning champion Wuhan Jiangda or Suwon FC (South Korea).