Both Phnom Penh Crown and Visakha have set their sights on victory in tonight’s crucial second-leg semifinal match of the 18th Samdech Hun Sen Cup 2025. With a final spot at stake, the 6pm match at prince Stadium is set to be a thriller.

In the first leg, hosted by Crown on April 30, Visakha fought back to earn a 2–2 draw. The result has made today’s second-leg clash even more intense, with both teams are fully committed to winning.

Crown head coach Oleg Starynskyi is already well aware that matches against Visakha are always tense and worth watching. However, he emphasised that this is a crucial match for Phnom Penh Crown as they aim to step into the final.

“We want to reach the final and win a trophy this season. This is an opportunity we must seize to achieve victory. That important victory is waiting for us, so we have to build strong character and push for a good result. I hope we can make our fans happy,” he said.

“We’ve focused on what we need to fix and what we can improve, and we’re going to try to do that. We’ve identified the areas that need improvement and are working to address them,” added the Ukrainian.

Last year saw Crown eliminate Visakha at the same stage of the tournament, and then go on to lose to Svay Rieng in the final. Phnom Penh Crown

Visakha’s interim coach, Tunji Ayoyinka Akeeb, also insisted that his squad is well-prepared for tonight’s decisive match. Visakha aim to secure a place in the final and exact revenge on Phnom Penh Crown, who eliminated them at this same semifinal stage last year.

“The atmosphere at training this week has been really good because we’re focused on preparing for this second-leg match. All the players are highly motivated, and they’ve prepared themselves to give their best performance to protect our home result,” he noted.