Top marks to the Burmese

The victorious Myanmar team with their reward, the BIDC Cup

For the 2nd match running, Thet Naing proved to be the match-winner for Myanmar

Well blow me down, Myanmar did it. They beat Thailand 2-1 after extra time in tonight's MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) and deserved it, just. At the final whistle, their German coach Gerd Zeise expressed his pride at his young team (14 under-19 and six at U-21) and felt they did enough to win, and who's to argue, as his young team went on a lap of honour, hardly believing themselves that they'd won against the tournament favourites. Thailand simply didn't do enough and allowed themselves to be harried and hustled off the ball by the fleet-footed Myanmar players who broke quickly and adopted a shoot on sight policy throughout the game. On twenty minutes, the Burmese youngsters went close three times, posting a warning to the Thai team. But it was the Thai's who drew first blood five minutes before the break when Pakorn Parmpak's inswinging free-kick looked to have found the boot of Wittaya Moonwong though the goal was later awarded to Parmpak himself. Not to be outdone, the Myanmar team repeated the feat, when Ye Ko Oo unleashed a free-kick that travelled all the way through the Thai defence and found Zaw Lin in space at the far post and his touch was true to level the scores three minutes before the interval. In the second period the best opportunities fell to Thailand but Parmpak and then Thitiphan Puangjan both failed to take advantage, and so the game went into extra time. Two more Parmpak chances went begging, one of them hitting the foot of the post, before Myanmar sent their supporters into raptures two minutes into the second half of extra time. A sweet and swift passing move saw Nay Lin Tun send over an inviting low cross which Thet Naing tapped in and went off like a rocket to celebrate. Despite a series of Thailand free-kicks that failed to find the target, the Myanmar skipper David Htan smacked a 25 yard free-kick against the cross-bar and that was it, as the Myanmar team celebrated their unexpected success with hugs and flag-waving, collecting the BIDC Cup (and $20,000) and earned the respect from everyone who watched this tournament. Parmpak picked up the golden boot award but will be kicking himself that he didn't make more of a difference in the final when he had the opportunities.

Myanmar were out to prove a point against their higher-rated opponents

Thailand went into the match as hot favourites, and believed it themselves

Golden Boot award winner with 5 goals, Thailand's Pakorn Parmpak

The Myanmar section of the crowd that kept up the noise level throughout the game

Winning coach Gerd Zeise (left) with FFC President Sao Sokha after the presentations

It's only going to get harder

Khuon Laboravy (11, red) leads out the Cambodian team against Thailand

The final of the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) takes place at 4pm this afternoon at the Olympic Stadium between Myanmar and Thailand. The sad point is that Cambodia will be unable to repeat their 2009 success as they failed at the semi-final stage against Thailand on Friday. It wasn't that Thailand gave them a good hiding, far from it, but Cambodia just lacked that inventive spark, that passionate belief that they could overcome their neighbours and with a coach who stuck rigidly to his gameplan even when it was obvious to all that it was failing miserably. The point of the exercise of course, was to get some serious match practice before the upcoming SEA Games in Indonesia. So in that respect, it's been worthwhile but we must also remember that Cambodia entered essentially their SEA Games team into this competition, whilst Thailand, and for that matter, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, played their U-19 teams, who will not be playing at the SEA Games. To state the obvious, Cambodia will find it considerably tougher when they get to Indonesia. I fear the worst unless the coach can pull rabbits out of the hat and find a winning formula which he clearly couldn't do in this competition.

LtoR: Phuong Soksana, Sok Sovan, Sok Rithy, Chhun Sothearath

LtoR: Lay Raksmey, Pov Phearith, Chin Chhoeurn, Tum Saray, Touch Pancharong

LtoR; Khuon Laboravy, Sou Yaty, Lay Raksmey, Pov Phearith

The Cambodian substitutes. LtoR: Vichet, Sokngorn, Rady, Veasna, Souhana, Daravorn, Dalin, PM Udom

The two captains exchange pennants before the kick-off

The Myanmar coach Gerd Zeise explaining his team's semi-final success

The Myanmar players jump for joy after their penalty shoot-out win over Vietnam

Myanmar glory

The winning Myanmar line-up, who beat Vietnam on penalties

I was hoping for a cracking game when Vietnam faced Myanmar in the 2nd BIDC Cup semi-final last night but I was sadly disappointed and the game was way below my expectation, with Vietnam a shadow of the teams they usually enter into competitions, whilst Myanmar threw a party at the end of the game that would've graced any World Cup Final, let alone the BIDC Cup semi. As you might've guessed, Myanmar won the game, after a penalty shoot-out and boy, did they love beating their old enemy. Goalkeeper Pyaye Phyo Aung was the star, saving two spot-kicks and giving Thet Naing the opportunity for glory, which he took, to send his team through 5-4 on penalties. In normal time, Vietnam led 1-nil at the break when the dangerous Nguyen Xuan Nam raced clear and finished with considerable expertise, something he later failed to repeat at a critical moment. Myanmar equalized just after the hour when skipper David Htan went down in the box, got up, dusted off the mud and whipped the spot-kick straight and true to make it 1-1. Nam thought he'd scored a 2nd when his shot cannoned off the cross-bar and bounced down near the goal-line but the linesman was ten yards behind play and the only outcome was a disappointed Nam, who had only himself to blame for not doing better with a 10-yard golden opportunity with just two minutes remaining. After 90 minutes the game moved straight to penalties instead of extra time and Myanmar netted their first four before missing one, only for Aung to make his second save and leave his teammate, Naing to grab the glory. The players and their supporters went beserk at the final whistle and their celebrations lasted long after everyone else had left the stadium. Goodness knows how they will celebrate if they manage to defeat Thailand in tomorrow's final.

Goalkeeper Pyaye Phyo Aung was less stiff when he saved 2 penalties in the shoot-out

The glory fell to Thet Naing, who converted the winning penalty

Vietnam, who will be pinching themselves that they lost to their lesser local rivals

Cambodia come a cropper

"What's that you say, Laboravy plays out on the left wing?" asks coach Lee Tae-Hoon

Internet problems prevented me bringing you yesterday's results sooner. I'm sorry to report that Cambodia were knocked out of the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) yesterday, beaten 2-1 by Thailand in the semi-final stage in front of 25,000 gutted supporters. I have to place the blame for the defeat firmly at the door of the South Korean coach, Lee Tae-Hoon, who started the game with his best player on the wrong side of the pitch, snuffing out his effectiveness and even when it was clear we weren't making any headway, he still refused to change it. He also dallied with his substitutions and one of his most ineffectual players stayed on the pitch until he finally replaced him in injury time. All in all, the coach got it horribly wrong against a Thailand U-19 team who didn't look too hot, but certainly had enough in the tank to deal with the majority of what Cambodia could throw at them. Leaving Khuon Laboravy, his skipper, on the right flank for the whole game was a bewildering decision to be frank. Laboravy tore the Laos defense to pieces in the first game, playing in his usual wide left role. To move him across the pitch, and keep him there for the whole game, nullified his game completely and Cambodia were toothless without his drive. There was no press conference after the game so I wasn't able to put that point to the head coach, so I'm still scratching my head as to why he would make such a foolhardy switch for this important game. The coach also brought Keo Sokngorn into the action on 66 minutes, but if he was fit enough to play 20+ minutes, why didn't he start with him. Sokngorn had Cambodia's best effort of the 2nd half and if he'd started, he could've made a difference. If the coach didn't believe he was 100% fit, he shouldn't even have been on the bench. So to the match itself.

All the goals came in the first 33 minutes of the match. There was a collective groan from the big crowd as Thailand's youngsters took a 4th minute lead. Thitiphan Puangjan jumped in front of keeper Sou Yaty to reach an inswinging corner to give the visitors an early lead. From another set piece, Cambodia levelled it on 8 minutes. Chin Chhoeurn swung a corner kick to beyond the far post where Sok Sovan was waiting, unmarked, and he bent down to head the ball between the upright and the scrambling goalkeeper. It was a simple effort for the youngster's first goal in senior football, which he celebrated by sinking to his knees and accepting the congratulations of his teammates. Honours even until a stroke of bad luck gifted Thailand their second, and match-winning goal. Chayawat Srinawong ghosted behind the backline and his low cross was deflected by Sok Rithy's outstretched foot, which wrong-footed Yaty and he couldn't keep the ball from rolling over the goal-line. Another large collective groan enveloped the stadium. It was a soft goal to concede especially as Thailand didn't show too much going forward, as they got bogged down in the cloying mud. Laboravy whipped in a free-kick that Thai keeper Watchara Buathong held at the 2nd attempt, but that was about it as far as goalmouth activity in the first half.

Thailand upped their efforts after the break with Yaty going low to collect a Srinawong low drive and Touch Pancharong blocking a goal-bound effort from Perapat Notchaiya. Laboravy demonstrated his frustration with a pointless booking for handball before Cambodia were handed a lifeline by referee Nagor Amir Noor from Malaysia, when he whipped out a second yellow card for a petty offence by Thai's Narakorn Kana and reduced the visitors to ten men for the final twenty minutes. It was the boost Cambodia needed, alongwith the introduction of Keo Sokngorn, but they failed to take advantage. The Cambodia coach refused to amend his gameplan and his team struggled to make any impact until a few minutes from the end. Sovan had a second far post header stopped just shy of the goal-line and with a minute on the clock, Sokngorn sent a fizzing shot inches wide, and with it Cambodia's chances of a positive result. Replacing the ineffectual Phuong Soksana with Sok Pheng in time added on just about summed up Lee Tae-Hoon's tactics, which were badly off the mark in this game.
Cambodian line-up: Yaty, Raksmey, Pancharong, Sovan, Rithy, Phearith, Sothearath, Saray (Sokngorn 66), Chhoeurn (PM Udom 77), Soksana (Pheng 91), Laboravy. Subs not used: Vichet, Rady, Daravorn, Dalin, Souhana, Veasna. Bookings: Pancharong, Sothearath, Laboravy.
Myanmar beat Vietnam in the other semi, 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, so go into Sunday's final against Thailand, whilst Cambodia will lick their wounds and head to the SEA Games, where they will find life considerably tougher.

The Cambodia starting XI who went 2-1 behind after 33 minutes: Back Row LtoR: Laboravy, Sovan, Phearith, Yaty, Soksana, Rithy. Front Row: Chhoeurn, Saray, Pancharong, Raksmey, Sothearath

The Thai U-19 team that sent their older opponents packing and skipped into the Final

The Cambodian players belt out the national anthem before the game

Sok Sovan bites his lip before the game and then scored his 1st goal in senior football after just 8 minutes

The big test

Less than a couple of hours to go until Cambodia face their sternest test in the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) when they meet Thailand at 3.30pm at the Olympic Stadium. Cambodia will have to put out their best line-up and play out of their skins if they are to beat the competition favourites who've already thrashed the Chinese club side and beaten Vietnam in their two games so far. Coming into this tournament fresh from winning the AFF U-19 championship, Thailand have the bit between their teeth and should win, though a big crowd might just act as Cambodia's extra man, if they shout loud enough. We shall see. PPCFC's Sok Pheng has recovered from his leg injury but will most likely sit on the bench, though Sok Sovan should get the nod again to link up with Sok Rithy at the heart of the home defence. The winners will go onto meet the team that comes out on top from the Vietnam v Myanmar clash that takes place at 5.30pm. The Final of the cup will be at 4pm this coming Sunday. If Cambodia can make it through, as they did in 2009 when they won the first edition of the cup, then the locals will be over the moon. You'd think that such an important game would merit a few lines, or even half a page in the Phnom Penh Post today. But you'd be wrong. Not a peep.

Parmpak's the man

Thailand are looking a good bet for the BIDC Cup

The fancied team in the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) is definitely Thailand. They have a swagger about them and in Pakorn Parmpak, they have the makings of a top striker, with two goals in each of the two matches he's played in the competition. The Thai team are fresh from capturing the AFF U-19 championship, played in Myanmar, and inflicted another defeat on Vietnam earlier today, just a couple of weeks after beating them in that AFF U-19 Final. Vietnam must be sick of the sight of them. The 3-0 success that Thailand pulled off this afternoon was pretty straightforward, they passed the ball better despite the crappy playing surface, made boggy by the heavy downpour just fifteen minutes into the match. They were quicker to the ball and once the initial cagey thirty minutes was up, there was only going to be one winner. Parmpak opened the scoring from the penalty spot with the last kick of the first-half. Narakorn Kana went down in stages and the Japanese referee pointed to the spot, to the horror of the Vietnamese defenders. It was a soft penalty award. Parmpak didn't care and sent the keeper the wrong way. With little in the way of goalmouth action, mainly due to the awful conditions, it was Parmpak who stepped up to ignite the game with a stunning individual goal eight minutes from time. Skating over the otherwise clammy surface, he slalomed around three defenders before planting his shot into the corner of the net, his talent oozing from every pore. Just to rub it in, in the 2nd minute of injury time the nippy Nitipong Selanon arrived at the far post in the nick of time to make it 3-0 and send Thailand through as group A winners. They now meet the 2nd placed team in group B, and that's Cambodia, at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon. Vietnam meanwhile, get to play Myanmar in the 5.30pm start the same afternoon.

The Thai starting line-up, fresh from their AFF U-19 success, win againVietnam were 2nd best to everything against Thailand

Cambodia draw 2-2

The Cambodian starting XI. Back Row LtoR: Udom, Pheng, Vichet, Rady, Rithy, Sovan. Front Row: Chhoeurn, Souhana, Veasna, Sothearath (capt), Dalin

As expected the rain didn't stay away from the Olympic Stadium this afternoon and made the pitch a quagmire by the time Cambodia faced Myanmar in the 5.30pm kick-off. The outcome of this MRYUIFTBIDC Cup (aka BIDC Cup) match looked to be heading Myanmar's way once Lee Tae-Hoon announced his starting line-up. Making seven changes from the team that beat Laos 2-0 on Saturday, it looked like the South Korean coach had handed the initiative to his German opponent Gerd Zeise, the Myanmar coach, by fielding what anyone would call a second string team. But that wasn't taking into account the battling qualities of the Cambodians nor the man-mountain performances put in by the central defensive partnership of Sok Rithy and Sok Sovan and the non-stop engine of Chhun Sothearath. The trio were absolutely outstanding throughout. The final score of 2-2 was perhaps fair enough though Zeise was shouting at the Vietnamese referee at the end of the game, claiming he'd deliberately avoided giving two late penalties and in his aftermatch tv interview, he suggested; "we played against 13 tonight, including 11 Cambodians, 1 referee and 1 linesman. We deserved better." The result now pairs Cambodia against the hot favourites Thailand in Friday's semi-final, with Myanmar facing Vietnam in the other one. Chin Chhoeurn's free-kick was punched out to kick-start the action early on, before Sok Rithy made the first of his goal-saving clearances after Um Vichet had missed his kick in the clogging mud. Sos Souhana missed his header just after before Chhun Sothearath's 25-yard range-finder was tipped over the top by Myanmar keeper Pyaye Phyo Aung. Myanmar drew first blood on 24 minutes when Samuth Dalin's attempted clearance allowed Thet Naing to sprint into the box and cross to the far post where Thiha Zaw got the jump on Sok Sovan to slot inside the post. PPCFC's Sok Pheng limped out of the game just after the half-hour, to be replaced by Tum Saray and it was his surge through the mud, with the ball, that put Souhana in on goal, only for Hein Thiha Zaw to bring him down and set up Cambodia's equaliser from the penalty spot. Prak Mony Udom kept his nerve to complete the task with five minutes of the 1st half left on the clock. In the last minute a Sovan header looked destined for the net until Aung clawed it away and the teams went in all square at the break.

Seven minutes after the restart and Cambodia got their noses in front. Sothearath and Chin Chhoeurn combined on the right flank to set up Saray but Aung blocked his close-range effort, only for less than thirty seconds to elapse before Sothearath's cross found an unmarked Saray three yards from goal and he nodded in with glee. The large crowd erupted in unison. Both teams made changes and it was one of Myanmar's that worked a treat. Yan Naing Htwe had been on the pitch for just a minute when he took advantage of the ball sticking in the mud, held off Rithy and whacked the ball into the net on 66 minutes for the leveller. The game petered out until the Myanmar bench were up in arms over two claims for penalties that had merit from the touchline but were waved away by the match officials in the final minute. Home keeper Vichet came up for a corner in injury time to try and grab a late winner but it was Myanmar who broke and looked set to score until Sok Rithy performed another of his miraculous last-ditch saving tackles.
Cambodia line-up: Vichet, Rady, Dalin, Sovan, Rithy, Veasna, Sothearath, Chhoeurn (Laboravy 57), PM Udom (Phearith 69), Souhana, Pheng (Saray 32). Subs not used: Yaty, Raksmey, Daravorn, Pancharong, Soksana, Sokngorn. Bookings: Sovan, Veasna.

The Phnom Penh Crown duo, Sok Pheng (left) and Sok Sovan

Waiting for the national anthem. LtoR: Dalin, Udom, Pheng, Sovan, Rithy

The Cambodian bench with coach Lee Tae-Hoon on the far right

The Myanmar starting line-up with a captain already on the move

Later today

If you are going to the two MRYUIFTBIDC Cup matches this afternoon, take a raincoat, umbrella and wellies. It's guaranteed to rain. The sloshing around on the Olympic pitch will begin at 3.30pm when Thailand meet Vietnam, in what should be a closely-fought encounter, if the teams are allowed to play their normal game, unrestricted by the conditions. Both teams will play their U-19 line-ups, which recently clashed in the final of the AFF U-19 championships played in Myanmar, a game which Thailand won on penalties, so with that as the latest form guide, this match could be a close call as well. Thailand thrashed the Chinese club side 7-2 in their last match, after Vietnam had drawn 1-1 with them, in a match ruined by the weather and on-field antics by the Hongxiang players and coaching staff. So the Thais seem to have the edge but never write off the Vietnamese.
In the second game at 5.30pm, the Cambodian U-21 team, with over-age players included, will meet the U-19s from Myanmar, who looked well in control when they eased to a 4-0 win over Laos a couple of days ago. Cambodia beat Laos 2-0 on the opening day of the competition and have had a good rest since then, so might just have the fresh legs to give the Burmese team a run for their money. With a victory under their belts already, the two teams have guaranteed qualification for the semi-finals, so this match will determine who tops the group. Both teams have foreign coaches, German-born Gerd Zeise (pictured) is in charge of Myanmar having previously worked in Germany, Belgium, Vietnam and the Maldives, whilst Lee-Tae-Hoon from South Korea is the man with the task of overseeing Cambodia through this competition and into next month's SEA Games. Lee's previous experience was as assistant coach to the South Korean national women's team.

Can Laos recover?

Two more matches in the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup this afternoon, with Laos needing a good win over Myanmar at 3.30pm to have a chance of progressing from Group B. They lost the opening match to Cambodia on Saturday 2-0 and the Laos coach was worried that his team would find it hard to recover in time, especially as the wet conditions would've drained his young team, which he said were mostly 16 and 17 year olds. Both the participating national teams from Laos and Myanmar competed in the very recent AFF U-19 tournament held in Myanmar, where the hosts finished 4th and Laos failed to qualify from their group. Cambodia will meet Myanmar in the remaining group B match on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium, with a 5.30pm start. The later game today will see the Chinese club team, Wuhan Hongxiang meet Thailand in their Group A encounter. Thailand won that AFF U-19 championship a couple of weeks ago and bring the same squad to this competition. The Chinese team will be without two of their team, who were red carded on Saturday.
Update: I didn't go to the matches this afternoon but at half-time in the opening game there was another thunderstorm that would've deluged the pitch once more, after someone watching it live on MYTV said it already resembled a bog. Doesn't look good for the remaining six games to be played on the Olympic Stadium pitch during the rest of this week. As for the results, the Myanmar team proved far too strong for the Laos youngsters in the opening game, winning 4-0 and booking their place in the semis. In the second game, the Chinese club side Wuhan Hongxiang came badly unstuck against a rampant Thailand team who ran out 7-2 winners and meet Vietnam on Wednesday to decide who'll win Group A. I did manage to watch the 2nd game on television and am really scratching my head to understand the advertising slogan of the competition's main sponsors, BIDC, whose advert implores, BIDC - Be Your Side, By Your Hand. What the heck does that mean?

The big kick-off

Cambodia Lining up for the handshakes. LtoR: Tum Saray, Chin Chhoeurn, Sou Yaty, Khuon Laboravy

LtoR: Sok Sovan, Lay Raksmey, Touch Pancharong, Phuong Soksana, Tum Saray

LtoR: Chhun Sothearath, Sok Rithy, Pov Phearith, Sok Sovan

The MRYUIFTBIDC Cup got underway yesterday - isn't that the most ridiculously long acronym you've come across for a football tournament, a simple Mekong BIDC Cup would suffice - and the locals will be cockahoop with their 2-0 win over Laos in the opening game, although those watching it won't be so happy that they got soaked to the skin. Admittedly, it's an U-21 competition and a 23 year old, Khuon Laboravy, dominated the match, whilst Laos fielded their teenage side that has just competed, unsuccessfully, in the AFF U-19 championship. The winners of that competition, Thailand, have also sent their U-19 team along to compete in the BIDC Cup, as have beaten finalists Vietnam. Myanmar, who were fourth in the tournament that they hosted two weeks ago, have likely done the same. The Chinese provincial club Hongxiang team didn't exactly win any fans with some of their intimidating behaviour at the end of their 1-1 draw with Vietnam in the second match. The Cambodian referee, Tuy Vichhika, came in for some considerable stick from the Chinese players and coaches and needed a police escort into his changing room.
Cambodian fans will be disappointed not to have seen their former darling Keo Sokngorn get any game time yesterday. He's been wowing the local fans of Samut Sakhon in Thailand this season and was brought back for this competition and to take part in the SEA Games. However, an ankle injury ruled him out yesterday and the coach Lee Tae-Hoon didn't want to risk aggravating it. Lee also told the after-match press conference of myself and two Khmer cameramen that despite Sou Yaty playing well against Laos, that Um Vichet would get the nod for Wednesday's game against Myanmar. Both players are used to this type of rotation, as it replicates what happens for their Army club side. For Phnom Penh Crown followers, Sok Sovan got his first taste of more senior national team action, he'd previously played for the U-16s, alongside the dependable Sok Rithy, and performed well making some crucial interceptions and blocks when Laos got into dangerous positions. Sok Pheng got a run up-front for the last 16 minutes and made his presence felt, winning the free-kick from which Laboravy netted Cambodia's second goal. However, the water on the pitch surface meant any meaningful football went out of the window after an hour of the game. The Laos coach compared it to a "swimming pool and the game should've been stopped by the referee," and complained that the match official had sought the advice of the captains instead of the respective coaches, about whether to continue the game or not. In truth, Cambodia already had their noses in front by the time the rains came, though I must admit the surface water made a mockery of the game and I agree that the game should've been postponed.
The guest of honour at yesterday's games was deputy prime minister Sok An, who gave an address to the massed ranks of schoolchildren and boy scouts sat in the grandstand and in the open areas of the ground (which they came to regret midway through the Cambodia match when the rains came with a vengeance). Attendance estimates were between 30,000 and 35,000. It's a no-brainer to invite schoolkids to these big events, you get the bums on seats, you get the noise (albeit mostly high-pitched screaming) and it makes the players feel good too. And to cap it all, Cambodia won.

Skipper Khuon Laboravy leads out his Cambodian teammates in red

Sok Sovan (4) steps out with Sok Rithy and Chhun Sothearath for his U-21 debut

PPCFC's Sok Pheng, on the sub's bench, before the game begins

The Cambodian team listen to the national anthem before the match begins

Swapping pennants with the captains prior to the toss-up

A look at the sizeable crowd in the main grandstand

Ref takes center-stage

Nguyen Thanh Hien's 2nd penalty kick in injury time gave his team the 1-1 draw

In the second match of the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup, played on a very wet surface that gave neither team scope to play attractive football, Cambodian referee Tuy Vichhika took center-stage and needed a police escort as he left the pitch after the 1-1 draw between Vietnam's U-19 team and provincial Chinese club side Wuhan Hongxiang. Relations between the two nations are notoriously fraught and so it proved on the football pitch at Olympic Stadium tonight. I lost count of the yellow cards brandished by the Cambodian match official, it was at least 9, as he clamped down on the Vietnamese penchant for heavy tackling early in the game. The first-half was a washout as both teams struggled manfully with so much water on the pitch surface. It improved after the break and Hongxiang looked to have an early penalty when Chen Hao was scythed down in the box, only for Vichhika to flash a yellow card at the player for simulation. On 76 minutes Hao was again fouled and this time, the referee pointed to the spot, with Huang Lei lashing home a twice-taken penalty with venom. A moment of handbags at five paces saw players and officials from both teams squaring off against each other until the police moved in to quell the fracas, before the the match ended in more controversy. In the second minute of time added on, with Vietnam pressing for an equaliser, Nguyen Xuan Nam went down in the penalty area, all too easily I have to say, and referee Vichhika pointed to the spot. Despite Chinese protestations, keeper Xia Yong saved Nguyen Thanh Hien's poorly-struck kick, only to drag the same player down as they both went for the rebound. Vichhika initially saw it as a dive, but changed his mind after consultation with his linesman, and awarded another spot-kick. The Chinese protests continued with two assistant coaches being dismissed from the pitch. After a two-minute delay, Hien lashed the ball home to make it 1-1. The final flashpoint of the match came as Hongxiang's Zhang Xian saw a straight red for an off-the-ball incident that allegedly involved strangling his opponent. That brought the curtain down on this fiery encounter with points shared.
Postscript: The official match report shows Tuy Vichhika flashed no less than 13 yellow cards (6 for Vietnam and 7 for Hongxiang), with the Chinese team also losing a 2nd player to a red card, Chai Lei, for a second booking, though I didn't even see that in all the commotion.

Wuhan Hongxiang won few fans with their intimidating tactics at the end of the game

Vietnam's U-19 team came from behind to grab a late equaliser

Cambodia off to winning start

Cambodia began with a 2-0 over Laos. Back Row LtoR: Raksmey, Sovan, Yaty, Soksana, Rithy, Laboravy. Front Row: Chhoeurn, Phearith, Sothearath, Pancharong, Saray

Man of the moment Khuon Laboravy gets himself focused before leading the team out

Khuon Laboravy was the difference between the two teams as Cambodia's U-23's put their Laos opponents to the sword in the opening game of the Mekong BIDC Cup, or the MRYUIFTBIDC Cup as it's now affectionately called. Cambodia won 2-0 and Laboravy stood pretty much head and shoulders above everyone else, both in stature, age and ability to create chances, as the Laos coach, Veunsavanah Sivisay, acknowledged after the match. "Cambodia were stronger than my team, especially number 11 (Laboravy). He was the difference, he was fast and simply too strong for my boys to cope. Most of my team are just 16 or 17 years old." So what was hyped as an U-21 tournament, started with a young Laos national team, who'd just competed in the AFF U-19 championships, being whipped by a 23 year old striker with bags of international and domestic experience and the home side's captain for the day. To Cambodia's credit, they harried and buzzed around in the early stages, full of enthusiasm and egged on by a crowd of thousands of schoolchildren invited to give the match an atmosphere. It worked, as every positive move by the home side was greeted with mass cheering and clapping from the students. The first real action of the game came on nine minutes as Tum Saray was booked for going down too easily in the Laos penalty box. With Laboravy looking dangerous on the left, it was one of his characteristic shimmies that took him to the bye-line on 22 minutes, and his low cross was touched in by Phoung Soksana at the near post, we think with his knee, to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Around the half-hour mark, two incisive Saray passes inside both full-backs gave Cambodia two more opportunities, as the home side began to dominate the exchanges. For the first, Laboravy's bye-line cross looked to have given Soksana his second goal until Laos skipper Sousadakone Liepvisay got in a blocking tackle at the last moment. For the second, Chin Chhoeurn got his shot away only to see Laos keeper Soukthavy Soundala save the day, with Soksana blasting the rebound over the bar from 15 yards out. With five minutes of the first-half remaining, it was Laboravy again, with Saray the supplier, who should've reacted quicker when set free but allowed Phoutthasay Khochhalern to get in a last-ditch tackle. A minute later, Laboravy weaved and dazzled his way past two players but found keeper Soundala in fine form. The final action of the half, in time added on, saw Sou Yaty, in the home goal, produce his second save of the afternoon, fisting a 25-yard effort from Tokty Khounthoumphone from under the cross-bar. Yaty had stood firm to a Lembo Saysana rising drive ten minutes earlier with Laos' first real goalscoring chance.

The start of the second period was greeted with a rain shower that turned progressively worse and spoiled the game as a spectacle from the hour mark onwards. With water lying on the pitch surface, both teams found it impossible to play any type of passing game, with the Laos coach bemoaning afterwards that it was a "swimming pool and the game should've been stopped by the referee." In fact the referee did call the two captains together before deciding to continue. Just after the break, Saray had a low drive blocked by Soundala but it Laboravy who again grabbed the limelight when his 69th minute free-kick took a deflection off the wall and thundered against the crossbar. Soksana wasted yet another good opportunity a couple of minutes later before Yaty came to Cambodia's rescue with his best save of the game. As both teams found the going tough, Laos striker Xaisongkham Champathong conjured up some magic to send a shot that looked destined for the top corner, before Yaty pulled out a fingertip save to deny him. Cambodia adapted better to the conditions and it was only a matter of time before they increased their lead. With ten minutes to go, a goalmouth scramble saw Laboravy and then substitute Sok Pheng denied by desperate defensive blocks and then Saray was denied a goal for a challenge by Laboravy on Soundala. The killer second goal finally arrived six minutes from the final whistle. Pheng was brought down 20 yards out and Laboravy returned from some touchline treatment to find his range and accuracy from a free-kick that evaded the wall and also Soundala to send his teammates, and the wet crowd, into raptures. He was substituted moments later to a standing ovation. Cambodia saw out the final minutes to begin their defense of the BIDC Cup with a near-perfect 2-0 success, that sets them up nicely for their next game against Myanmar on Wednesday in pole position. The national team coach, South Korean Lee Tae-Hoon was a happy man after the game. "Laboravy is a very special player, he played ever so well, but so did Soksana, Chhoeurn and Saray, they all played well today. I was also very pleased with Yaty, he made a few good saves, though I will play Vichet in the next game. It's a good start."
Cambodia line-up: Yaty, Raksmey, Pancharong, Sovan, Rithy, Phearith, Sothearath, Saray, Chhoeurn (PM Udom 60), Soksana (Pheng 74), Laboravy (Dalin 86). Subs not used: Vichet, Rady, Daravorn, Sokngorn, Souhana, Veasna. Bookings: Saray, Rithy.

The youthful Laos team that went down 2-0

Lee Tae-Hoon describing his happiness with the 2-0 victory

Finally, here's the squad

The Cambodian national team line-up from one of their pre-tournament warm-up games against Phnom Penh Crown

Unofficially, the 25 names in the Cambodian national team squad for the forthcoming Mekong BIDC Cup matches, which begin this coming Saturday, are as follows. This isn't the senior national team, but players selected to represent the country who qualify for this Under-21 competition.
Goalkeepers: Um Vichet, Sou Yaty (both Army), Sar Sophea (Preah Khan Reach).
Defenders; Pheak Rady, Keo Vannak (both Army), Sok Rithy, Lay Raksmey, Moul Daravoan (all PKR), Sok Sovan (Phnom Penh Crown), Chhin Meng Seang, Touch Pancharong (both Nat Police).
Midfielders: Oum Kumpheak, Pov Phearith, Chhin Chhoeurn (all Army), Prak Mony Udom, Soun Veasna, Tum Saray (all PKR), Chhun Sothearath (BBU), Sos Souhana (Prek Pra Keila), Tith Dina (Nat Police).
Forwards: Sok Pheng (Phnom Penh Crown), Khuon Laboravy (PKR), Keo Sokngorn (Samuth Sakhon), Phuong Soksana (Army), Samuth Dalin (Nat Police).

So that's eight players from Preah Khan Reach, another eight from the Army and four from the National Police team. The C-League champions Phnom Penh Crown supply just two names, Sok Sovan, a late addition to the squad, and Sok Pheng. There are some noticeable names missing from recent line-ups put out by the South Korean national coach Lee Tae-Hoon in warm-up matches. These include central defender Say Piseth, who is working in Vietnam, and Sophal Udom, who was injured in a motorbike accident last week. There's also no place for the C-League's player of the season, the impish Chea Samnang of Preah Khan Reach. I also noticed that the competition is pitched at U-21 age level yet Khuon Laboravy is 23 years old, Lay Raksmey and Pheak Rady are both 22, and Sok Rithy seems to have been around forever but is still only 20. Though to be honest I take the birthdates of Cambodian footballers with a pinch of salt. Five other players have been named on standby including Crown's keeper Peng Bunchhay and striker Khim Borey and PKR's Phany Y Ratha. Cambodia begin their defense of the BIDC Cup at 4pm on Saturday 8 October against the U-21 team of Laos. As for Cambodia's opponents, Laos have just re-appointed the experienced Austrian coach Alfred Riedl as their new national team technical director, and he will take over the reins as head coach of the Laos senior and U-23 national teams in January.
Postscript: The coach of Cambodia has cut his squad to just 20 players on the eve of the BIDC Cup. Out of the frame are keeper Sar Sophea, defenders Chhin Meng Seang and Keo Vannak and midfielders Tith Dina and Oum Kumpheak. The last name is a bad move.