PHNOM PENH: One of Cambodia’s elite football teams, Phnom Penh Crown, is about to play the most special match of this season against Visakha Football Club. They are competing at Metfone Cambodian League in a successful trajectory of victories. If Phnom Penh Crown wins, they will be champions of this season. If they lose or draw, they will have to fight for the trophy in one extra match.
Phnom Penh Crown’s Head Coach Oleg Staryinskyi has told EAC News the club want nothing less than victory: “Tomorrow will be a decisive game, as you know there is two games left. And this is a game when the first position meets with the second one, and the victory of this game will become the champion. We work hard to be in this position where we are now so we come to the stadium only to get the three points.”
He said the Covid-19 pandemic made the club’s training unpredictable, turning this year league the most challenging of all: “It was 100% the weirdest season I ever met. And I think compering to the rest of the world we had a lot of obstacles. Sometimes we had lockdowns that everything stopped for one or two months with no games at all. And then we had a period that we had to play two or three games per week which is very demanding. So, as you see the players have shown strong character and each game they were pushing victory, that’s why we are in the top position. We accept the challenge, and I would say we adapted quite well for this situation.”
But for the players, no challenge is bigger than the feeling of being one step to victory. The team’s captain, Orn Chanpolin, has shared with EAC News: “My feeling for tomorrow’s game is excitement. We trained hard for this game, we prepared everything for this game. And this game will decide if we become a champion or not, I hope this game will be a good game.”
The Brazilian midfield player Matheus Souza have also shown confidence for the match: “I am excited for this game, we are training hard. We are confident tomorrow is the big game. The expression is ‘six-point game’ and I hope we are going to be champions for this game. I don’t want to go for against and focus and try to win and be champions because I know the fans need this year win, because long time training hard with many situations, bad situations due to Covid-19. And I believe in us.”
Saturday won’t be a special day only for the players, but also for the fans, who are finally able to watch the match inside the stadium, since the reopen of public spaces following safe measures. Captain Orn Chanpolin hopes the supporters will come to cheer Phnom Penh Crown, while Matheus Souza told EAC News the fans in stadium leave all players more motivated for victory. “I’m very happy, I love fans…The emotion when we score, is very good.” He added.
EAC News brought one lucky fan to exclusively watch the players training for tomorrow’s match. He said watching them on screen is not the same as on stadium: “As one of the biggest fan of Phnom Penh Crown since 2010, I’m very happy to be back at the stadium, to watch our team play in a way we can see face-to-face, not on TV or look through youtube or facebook again. I am so glad. I have seen many victories Phnom Penh Crown have achieved in the past years and I’m looking to see the victory of tomorrow. We will be the champion of tomorrow game. We are Phnom Penh crown. We are the red.”
Phnom Penh Crown will play tomorrow against Visakha Footbal Club on Prince Stadium, Phnom Penh at 3:30 PM, with the ticket price at 10,000 Riehl.
