It was a huge result that reignited Macarthur’s hopes of progressing into the next round after losing 3-0 in the reverse fixture in October.

“I'm delighted with the team's performance, it's a significant improvement from the last match,” said Sterjovski. “We were well aware that facing Phnom Penh would pose a challenge, given that they are a strong team. I'm particularly pleased with our first-half performance, where I believe we played exceptionally well. We created some promising opportunities and could have capitalised on a few more.

“Although we lost our way a bit in the second half, I'm satisfied with our strong finish and, overall, very happy with the win. The team stuck to the game plan, and the players executed it brilliantly. I couldn't ask for more from them.”

Macarthur have nine points and lead the standings ahead of Phnom Penh on goal difference but Sterjovski insisted that his team must stay focused for the long journey ahead.

“Moving forward, our approach is to take each game as it comes, maintaining focus on the next match, which is against Melbourne City in the A-League on Sunday. We aim to sustain the momentum we've built, and the players are eager to continue the positive start we've had. Our primary focus now is on recovery, addressing any tweaks, and ensuring the players are back to 100 percent."

Head coach Oleg Starynskyi told his Phnom Penh team to forget the defeat and focus on their upcoming matches.

“Macarthur did a great job. It was a completely different game compared to the one we played in Cambodia,” said  Starynskyi. “Unfortunately, we didn't have the full team today and playing against an Australian team at home is always tough. Macarthur presented a significant challenge. They are a solid team, who are performing well domestically.

“We are second in the standings and we need to focus on the upcoming matches. Traveling and playing away games are never easy. Our attention is now on the two games against Dynamic Herb Cebu and Shan United and we aim to secure maximum points.”