Kingdom of football: Goal by goal, all 16 of them

PPCFC v Kratie: Back Row LtoR: Sam Chamrouen, Ouk Sothy, Tieng Tiny, Sok Sovan, Chan Dara, Khim Borey. Front: Sok Pheng, Men Seyha, Sos Suhana, Kouch Sokumpheak, Chhun Sovanna

He wears the number 10 jersey, so presumably Kouch Sokumpheak felt he had to live up to his number in this afternoon's Hun Sen Cup tie against Kratie. Three goals in the 1st half and then another seven after the interval by one individual is pretty good going in anyone's book. Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth said after the game; "I left him on the pitch as he got married, had some time off, so for his own benefit, fitness-wise, I felt he should stay on the pitch." That decision certainly paid rich dividends as Sokumpheak led Crown to a massive 16-0 victory in the first of their three Group D matches. Booth gave six players their Hun Sen Cup debuts including Khim Borey, who was barred from last year's competition. In the 2nd minute, their new giant of a keeper, Sam Chamrouen nervously fumbled a cross and Kratie poked their only chance of the game wide of the post. They simply weren't in it after that. With Crown playing a quick passing game, despite the grass and mud surface that made such football a tough proposition in the conditions, Kratie were chasing shadows for the rest of the game. Ouk Sothy and Chhun Sovanna were particularly noticeable in the middle of the park for Crown, playing neat interchanges before releasing their three-pronged strikeforce, though the Crown forwards did their fair share of winning the ball and setting themselves on a course for their opponents goal. You won't be surprised to hear Crown missed a hatful of chances in the game. The most glaring misses befell Sok Pheng and Ouk Sothy in the first half, and Hong Pheng in the 2nd, though Sokumpheak himself had another half a dozen chances which were blocked by the Kratie goalkeeper, Mean Kiara. The visitors were reduced to ten men just after the hour when their skipper, Pha Kolboth picked up a 2nd yellow and saw red. It certainly wasn't that type of game to warrant a booking, let alone a dismissal.

Here are the goals:
1st half: 15 mins - Chan Dara short pass to Sokumpheak who left a defender on his arse and slid the ball through to Sok Pheng on the right side of the area. Pheng rounded the keeper and slotted in from a tight angle.
25 mins - Khim Borey slipped a pass inside the full-back and Sokumpheak waited for his moment before lashing his shot inside the near post.
28 mins - Ouk Sothy broke forward, fed Khim Borey, who cut inside and whacked in a 20-yard drive that sailed into the top corner.
31 mins - Chhun Sovanna won a tackle, left another defender in his wake and finished coolly with a neat sidefoot shot.
40 mins - Sos Suhana fed Sokumpheak wide on the left, he nipped past the last defender, opened up his body and rolled the ball across the keeper and in at the far post.
44 mins - Tieng Tiny's headed cross was headed goalwards by Borey, but was saved and Sokumpheak's rebound shot hit a hand and nestled in the net. The referee gave a penalty for the handball offence. Sokumpheak sent his penalty high into the roof of the net. 6-0 and three for No 10.

2nd half: 56 mins - Borey linked up again with Sokumpheak, and the goal-machine took his time and picked his spot from fifteen yards out.
57 mins - Sokumpheak broke into the penalty area and onto Sok Pheng's pass, only for the keeper, Mean Kiara to trip him. Sokumpheak got up, dusted himself down and sent the penalty kick into the top corner.
60 mins - Suhana fed Sokumpheak on the right, he rounded the keeper and fired his shot straight and true from a very acute angle.
65 mins - Chan Dara and Hong Pheng combined on the right wing, Pheng sent in a hard and low cross and Leng Makara, just on 4 mins earlier, tapped into an empty net.
68 mins - Hong Pheng's byeline cross was volleyed in by Sokumpheak at close range.
77 mins - Makara's left-wing cross to the far post was chested down by Sokumpheak and he calmly rolled in his 8th goal.
78 mins - Sothy's pass put Sokumpheak in space, he took his time and drove in his shot from 10 yards out.
84 mins - Men Seyha broke down the left wing, and his byeline cross was tapped in by Sokumpheak from six yards out, for his 10th goal of the game.
87 mins - Sothy's driving run into the box, and his byeline pull-back was powerfully headed in by Leng Makara.
90+1 mins - Sothy robbed the last man and rolled the ball to Makara who fired in the game's 16th goal from a wide angle.

Crown head coach David Booth was pleased with the result. After the match, he commented; "We scored early on, which helped to settle us. Apart from the pitch, I was pleased with our performance, as we kept running, kept passing and kept working hard for each other. We made lots of chances, and we scored lots of goals which always helps to build up confidence,. We had a lot of new players playing today. I want to win every game and its important to find out if the new players can play under pressure. Today we did well. Our midfield gave the ball away a lot early on, but got better as the game wore on. I demanded that we pressed the opposition at the right time and we did it very well, stopping them playing out. I took off Sok Pheng as I want him to be ready for the next game and mistakenly took Borey off as I thought he had a knock. I felt a bit for the opposition, there was no need for the red card and it made it hard for them." Crown now face the stiffer task of National Police on Saturday at the Olympic Stadium at 2pm. Police won a close game with Boeung Ket with a late Srey Udom penalty, 1-0 immediately after the Crown match.
PPCFC line-up: Chamrouen, Dara (capt), Seyha, Tiny (Lika 65), Sovan, Sovanna, Sothy, Suhana, Sok Pheng (Hong Pheng 60), Borey (Makara 61), Sokumpheak. Subs not used: Ary, Oudom, Da, Vanthan, Srin, Kimhor, Sophanal, Sochivorn. Bookings: None. Ref: Saing Sopheak.