Kingdom of football: Central Stadium

Crown coach David Booth (left) will be in the Central Stadium sunken dug-out for the last time tonight

Phnom Penh Crown face the host nation's favourite sons, FC Istiklol, tonight under floodlights at the Central Stadium, and with a big point to prove. An 8-goal thrashing against Dordoi two nights ago will have given the Crown players nightmares, and if it didn't, it should've. The performance of the team was below an acceptable standard at this level of competition. The clubs in the AFC President's Cup are champions of their respective countries for a reason, they are the cream of the emerging nations and if Cambodia wants to stand toe to toe with them, its players need to step up to the plate. Professionalism is not just a long word, it's a state of mind and attitude to the task in hand. If you don't adopt a professional mindset then you will fail, because every one of the other teams in this competition are treating it as if their lives depend on it. Dordoi came at Crown from the first whistle and we wilted, especially as the game wore on. Tonight, we will face a similar barrage from Istiklol, who will be roared on by a large partisan crowd. They need a point but they will be going for the jugular right from the off. The Crown players know it and they must deal with it. Coach David Booth has made changes to his line-up for what he has said, will be his final game in charge of the team. He will not want to bow out without a performance that is passionate, hard-working and honest. The players owe him that.

All of the AFC President's Cup matches are being played at the Dushanbe Central Stadium, the theatre of dreams for Tajik football since it was built in 1956 during the Soviet-era. While league matches are routinely held in other stadiums – Aviator, Polytechnic and Spartak – the big matches are reserved for the 20,000-seater Central Stadium. Such is the landmark’s aura that even during devastating civil war from 1992 until 1997 the stadium was used for football matches, providing moments of major respite to the sports-loving populace. Some of Tajikistan’s unforgettable football victories have taken place at the Central. Fans fondly remember the 4-0 defeat of neighbours Uzbekistan in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier in 1996. It was here the popular Central Asian Games, filled with pomp and pageantry, were held in 2003. And the Tajiks will not forget the goalless draw against Bahrain in FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying action in 2004. The Central has undergone major renovation in recent years and continues to be the main address of Tajik sports.