Coach Koji Gyotoku believes Cambodia’s 3-0 win over Timor-Leste in Phnom Penh on Monday will give his side a much-needed confidence boost ahead of their remaining ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ 2026 Group A meeting when they face Vietnam on Friday.
Hav Soknet scored twice before Mon Rado headed in a late third to earn the Cambodians their first win of the campaign and guarantee a fourth-place finish in the standings ahead of the Timorese. It also ensured they maintained a run of winning at least one match in each edition since 2018.
“It is great that we secured the victory today, and I am very happy,” said Gyotoku. “When I entered the press conference room, I saw that the young supporters and other fans were also very pleased, which made me happy.
“In terms of the match, both teams had periods of possession and control. However, we were able to score the goals and secure the victory. This result will give our players greater motivation ahead of the next match.”
The win came after successive losses against Singapore and Indonesia but Gyotoku refused to draw comparisons between the three performances by his team in the competition so far.
“It is difficult to compare the performances because we faced different opponents,” he said.
“Every opponent has a different playing style and presents a different type of challenge. For that reason, I do not think we can make a direct comparison with the previous two matches.”
The match was Timor-Leste’s last in the group phase and coach Zé Pedro admitted his team still had improvements to make to be competitive at the ASEAN Hyundai Cup™ after the Timorese finished bottom of the five-team group standings.
“We knew it would be a difficult match, particularly because Cambodia were playing at home with the support of their fans,” he said.
“I believe we started well. During the opening five to 10 minutes, the match was quite balanced. However, after we conceded the first goal, the situation became more difficult for us.
“I have no complaints about the result. Cambodia won 3-0. There remains a significant gap between Timor-Leste and teams such as Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia and Indonesia.
“However, we will continue working, improving and developing until we can close that gap.”
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