U-14s pride intact

Cambodia U-14s meet Thailand. LtoR: Komapitu, Saphy, Kakada, David, Sopharith, Samnang (capt). Front Row: Mustafa, Kimhong, Davith, Panha, Piseth.

The Cambodian U-14 national team completed their AFC U-14 Championship qualifiers earlier this morning and can feel well pleased with their debut in the competition. Though they didn't qualify for the finals, which was never a realistic expectation, they did put up some sterling performances and picked up two draws, and two points, out of the five group matches they played. They finished 5th out of the six teams and rounded off their matches with successive solo-goal defeats against the group runaway winners Thailand, and early this morning, Singapore. Goal-less draws against Bangladesh and Laos, either side of a 5-0 defeat to Indonesia, coupled with 1-nil defeats to Thailand and Singapore tell the story of the Bouy Dary-coached team, who got together six weeks before the tournament and surprised their opponents with resilient defending, a tight-knit team formation and a willingness to battle for every ball. Where they did come unstuck was in front of goal, not registering a goal in their five matches. They played all their matches in the near empty 30,000 all-seater Zeyar Thiri Stadium in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, playing five games in seven days. For the record, the majority of the Cambodian team were aged just twelve years old whereas most of their opponents were two years older, so there's a lot of promise and hope for the future if these youngsters continue to develop. This was afterall their first major international competition. Quite a daunting task for anyone, let alone boys so young. They return to Phnom Penh tomorrow evening. The eight teams that qualified for the inaugural U-14 continental competition are Thailand, Timor Leste, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, DPR Korea and Iraq.

The Cambodia boys take a breather at the stadium after their final match, with their coaching staff

Going down bravely

The Cambodia U-14s salute their national flag and anthem

The Cambodia U-14s didn't fare so well in their second match in the AFC U-14 Championships being held in Myanmar, when they went down 5-0 to a much taller and stronger Indonesia team yesterday. The competition is for 14 year olds though the majority of the Cambodian team are just twelve and that matters a lot at that age, where young boys are reaching puberty and growing at different speeds. Khmer boys are generally smaller in stature and with their poor diets that doesn't help either. It's a problem that needs to be looked at in depth in order to give Cambodian sporting youngsters a better start in the future. At the moment they do not match up to their Asean counterparts. The U-14s battled bravely yesterday but lost out after a promising 0-0 draw in their first match against Bangladesh. They have a rest now until they meet Laos on Friday in the third of their five-match tournament. Here's a picture of the boys singing the Cambodian national anthem which created a wave of interest amongst Khmer football fans on facebook yesterday.

A new experience

Cambodia U-14 line-up: Back Row LtoR: Samnang, Sopharith, Chanmony, Saphy, Komapitu, Kakada. Front: Mustafa, Davith, Panha, Kimhong, Piseth

It's a new experience for players making their international debut for Cambodia, to not lose. But that's exactly what happened with the Cambodia U-14 national team today. Meeting Bangladesh in their opening game in Group F of the AFC U-14 Championship qualifiers, Cambodia achieved a creditable 0-0 draw and by all accounts should've won the tie. They did everything but score, including showing their passing ability and teamwork to great effect. Now they just need to find their goalscoring form. Their second match is against Indonesia tomorrow morning. The games are being played in a massive stadium in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. Yesterday's attendance was a mere 30 people. Bouy Dary is the coach in charge of the team, taking time out from his Phnom Penh Crown Academy duties to lead the squad. The U-14 squad is as follows; Svang Samnang (captain), Sin Kakada, Tong Chanmony, Thy Ronaldo, San Davith, Lim Pisoth, Nop David, Ny Mustafa (all PPCFC), Sao Sopheak, Sem Dona, Tep Komapitu, Heng Kimhong, Mao Piseth, Tang Rithyviwath, Em Sopharith, Chhun Devy, Tray Vicheth (all Svay Rieng), Kong Rafat, Sary Slaiman, Yoe Saphy (all Prek Kdam), Sok Panha (Battambang).