Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC head coach Matthew McConkey has warned his players not to get carried away with the 4–1 scoreline in Thursday night’s AFC Challenge League 2025–26 quarter-final.
The result is not yet decided, with focus required on the club’s second meeting with CPL arch-rivals Phnom Penh Crown.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, McConkey said the result only represents the end of the first match, with another decisive game still to come.
“We still have one more to play,” he said, adding “I told my players not to celebrate too much. We can be proud of what we did today, but anything can happen in football, so we must remain focused on the next match.”
His caution comes despite the convincing scoreline at the Olympic National Stadium on March 5, a match he described as “very tense”. Svay Rieng actually created fewer chances than Crown, but finished more effectively.
“If you look at the 4–1 result, Crown could have scored more because they had many chances,” the stoic Northern Irishman noted. “But they couldn’t finish them, while we took our opportunities and scored four goals thanks to the hard work of our players.”
Crown fielded nine foreign players in their starting lineup, including Colombian-born Cambodian naturalised player Nieto Rondon, with goalkeeper Chiem Samnang the only local player.
Svay Rieng started eight foreign and three Cambodian players.
Crown took an early lead in the 3rd minute through striker Moses Dyer, delighting the home crowd.
However, Svay Rieng equalised in the 29th through striker Peprah Kwame. In the second half, Kwame scored two more goals in the 67th and 82nd minutes, completing a hat-trick, while Patrick Robson added another goal from a penalty in the 75th minute.
Kwame said his goals reflected the team’s collective performance.
“All my goals were good finishes, but they came from the team’s overall play,” he acknowledged. “We thank our supporters who travelled from Svay Rieng province to support us here, and we hope they will continue supporting us in the second leg.”
The second leg is set to take place at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on March 12.
McConkey indicated that major tactical changes are unlikely, but also emphasised the need to reduce mistakes that could allow their opponents to score.
