Phnom Penh Crown (in red) last met Visakha on April 19, with Crown edging a 1-0 victory. They will meet tonight for leg one of their Hun Sen Cup semi-final. Crown FC
The “Red Lions” of Phnom Penh Crown have only a slim chance left to compete for the Cambodian Premier League (CPL) title. Their recent 4–3 loss to Boeung Ket has left them trailing the top team, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, by 7 points, with reigning champions Svay Rieng only needing one victory from the remaining three matches to guarantee the top spot.
Despite this, head coach Oleg Starynskyi is continuing to urge his squad to pursue victory in the final three games.
Perhaps in recognition of their slim chances, the Ukrainian has called for his side to focus on tonight’s Hun Sen Cup semi-final. Crown will meet three-time champions Visakha FC at Smart RSN Stadium at 6pm for the first leg of the semis.
Starynskyi would like to see a repeat of last year’s semis, when Crown defeated Visakha 6-3 on aggregate with a 2-2 draw away and a 4-1 victory on their own turf.
Ultimately, they lost the final 1-0 to Svay Rieng.
Crown head coach Oleg Starynskyi (centre) has called for his side to focus on the cup semi-final as their premier league chase appears to have slipped away. Crown FC
“We have to focus on tonight’s match (April 30), and must try everything to win by concentrating on each of the trophies that are realistically still in play,” said the Crown coach.
“We have to win every match we possibly can. Last year, we made it to the final of the Samdech Hun Sen Cup, and this is a great competition for us to fight for and win as well,” he added.
However, it remains uncertain whether his hopes will be met, with Visakha also desperate to claim some silverware for the cabinet this year.
Visakha no longer has a shot at the CPL title, so the Hun Sen Cup is now their only hope. They are extremely motivated by the need to avoid the disappointment they suffered in 2024, when they finished third in both the league and the Hun Sen Cup.
The club has previously lifted the Hun Sen Cup three consecutive seasons – in 2020, 2021 and 2022 – and are determined to relive their glory days.
This year’s CPL head-to-head results make it clear that tonight’s match-up could go either way, with one draw (3-3), one Visakha victory (2-1) and two Crown wins (4-2, 1-0) already down in the ledger.
