All done and dusted

The PPCFC team collect their medals and 3rd place cheque

The Phnom Penh Crown players collected their third place medals and a cheque for 36,000,000 million riels (that's $9,000) at the closing ceremony for the Metfone C-League this afternoon. That wasn't the main event but perhaps the highlight for some. The rain was coming down in buckets at that time. Earlier in the afternoon, it was not much more than a drizzle as Svay Rieng (who changed their name from Preah Khan Reach in mid-season) took on Boeung Ket in the Championship Play-off Final. The two teams finished in the top two places in the league, so if we must have this farce of a play-off then they were the two teams who merited it. On the day, ex-PKR registered their first MCL title with a single goal success, courtesy of a Khuon Laboravy strike from 25 yards just five minutes before half-time. Not only has the striker battled back from a serious knee injury, but he also collected the Golden Boot with 20 goals and to cap it all, the FFC gave him the Best Player of the Season award. Bags of credit to the popular striker, though the stand-out best player of the season award should've gone to Chukwuma Ohuruogu, the Boeung Ket defender. The final itself was even-steven for most of the first period, aside from that Laboravy strike, with the Rubbermen putting on more pressure after the break but unable to get past the game's outstanding player, Sok Rithy. He was a mountain in the ex-PKR backline. Billed as a clash of the goalscoring giants, Laboravy won that battle hands down as Boeung Ket's Bisan George was quiet as a mouse. The crowd was clocked at 6,000, though I never believe any attendance figures, with Boeung Ket giving away free t-shirts at the gate to anyone who would pledge their 90-minutes allegiance to the Rubbermen. The other awards went to ex-PKR's Sam Vandeth as coach of the year, Boeung Ket scooped up the Fair Play award, with the cash prizes of $14,500 for 1st place and $12,000 for the runners-up. Two more awards that I must take issue with are the top goalkeeper award that was given to ex-PKR's second-choice stopper Am Sovannarath, who played just half a season of games, and the annual award of the best referee to Thong Chankethya. Surely the goalkeeper with the best shut-out record having conceded the least number of goals must be in with a shout (Samrith Seiha), while Chankethya getting the referee award, again, smacks of FFC cronyism at its best. No change there then. So that's it for another season. All done and dusted. Aside from the small matter of relegation and promotion with Senate and AEU destined for the drop, but it remains as clear as mud who will take their place.

Ex-PKR, now called Svay Rieng, claim the MCL trophy for the 1st time

Making a habit of 3rd

PPCFC. Back Row LtoR; Boris, Srin, Makara, Sokumpheak, Borey. Front Row: Obadin, Thierry, Pheng, Ha-Neul, Seiha, van der Hooft - click to enlarge

Phnom Penh Crown are making a habit of finishing in third place. They've now completed the double after landing third spot in the Hun Sen Cup earlier in the season, and with today's 1-0 win over Build Bright United (BBU), they also claimed the third place in the Metfone C-League play-offs. The winning goal, obviously, came from the boot of Crown's ace marksman Elroy van der Hooft, in what is likely his last outing for the club. Due to take a holiday on the south coast, the Dutch striker who has shown his class, willingness to run for lost causes, all-round team effort and his knack of scoring crucial goals since joining Crown at the mid-point of the season, netting twelve times in all, is due to return to his country of birth before deciding his future. He has certainly created a stir here in Cambodia with his goals-per-game ratio, some fabulous individual efforts and a willingness to interact with the fans on the terraces. It's clear he would be welcome back anytime though he has his sights set on playing at the highest level possible, so we'll have to see what transpires. As for the game itself, Crown had to pick themselves up after the disappointment of losing the semi-final last weekend and coach Sam Schweingruber's only change was Leng Makara for Sos Suhana. The match kicked-off as the rain arrived and referee Tuy Vichheka made his point early on, booking Elroy van der Hooft after just seven minutes for kicking the ball, moments after he blew for offside. It was a very harsh decision and looked even harsher when the same official ignored an identical situation minutes later when BBU did exactly the same. BBU's only effort on target in the whole of the first-half came when Seng Komsen launched a hopeful ball forwards that took a wicked bounce as Crown keeper Samrith Seiha came to collect. It was much as he could manage to push the ball into the air and as Pech Sina challenged, Seiha made a point-blank save to keep him out. Two other long-range efforts that fizzed well wide was all BBU could muster. At the other end, on 25 minutes, Leng Makara fed van der Hooft in the box and the striker found a yard of space but his powerful drive struck the cross-bar and bounced to safety. Three minutes later, Kouch Sokumpheak's delightful pass saw the Dutchman racing into space but his first-time left-footer flashed across the face of the goal and wide. As the first-half came to a close, a Makara shot was blocked and Ngoy Srin's menacing cross eluded everyone, before Lee Ha-Neul's one-two with Khim Borey saw the South Korean screw his shot wide of the target after creating a good opening.

Another early booking, in the second-half, for Crown's Hong Pheng was keeping referee Tuy Vichheka's pencil sharpened. This time it was for simulation after Pheng went over in the penalty box. Tow BBU players were quick to follow him into the referee's book. Twenty minutes into the second period and Makara will wonder how he missed the target. Bin Thierry's inswinging corner kick was missed by keeper Sos Proshim and Makara, standing five yards from goal, cushioned his free header wide of the mark. Five minutes later the same player burst into the penalty area only to fire his shot straight at a grateful Proshim. It was all Crown at this point, as van der Hooft had a shot blocked and Suhana, on as a sub, saw his goal-bound effort deflected for a corner. Searching for a winner, Suhana volleyed straight at Proshim and Makara's fierce drive was blocked by a defender and keeper combination. Shouts for a penalty when the ball struck Adewale Olugbami's arm went unheeded and the same player was cautioned for hauling down van der Hooft as he broke away. The final action of normal time saw Thierry's 25-yard free-kick well taken at the foot of the post by Proshim. Extra-time was next.

Under the floodlights, Thierry was first to test Proshim with a free-kick that the keeper punched clear. Referee Vichheka then decided to take matters into his own hands with two yellow cards for Kouch Sokumpheak within six minutes of each other, both for lunging tackles, leaving Crown a man short. Within two minutes that numerical disadvantage was swept away as Makara broke into the box, and as van der Hooft challenged for the cross, he was upended by Proshim and a penalty was awarded. The Dutch marksman got to his feet to crash the ball home for his 13th goal of the season. It was timed at 104 minutes on the clock and greeted with loud cheers from the majority of the crowd. A neat one-two between Suhana and van der Hooft opened up the BBU backline five minutes into the second period of extra time but on this occasion the striker sent his hurried shot over the top. A small sign of resistance from BBU skipper Prum Putsethy, as he flashed a shot wide, but it was all too brief as Crown maintained control and saw the match out to claim third place in the MCL play-offs.

PPCFC coach Sam Schweingruber had this to say at the end of the game. "We've seen in the 2nd Round that BBU are a very difficult team to break down, they only lost by a single goal in the semi-final, so we knew they had a well-organised defence. I thought we could've played better but for me our discipline was much improved from our last game, and that helped us to have a clean sheet again, and if you work hard, you get that piece of luck you need. It was a penalty but it was also a bit of a struggle to get to that point. We were dominant, we were better, we just didn't create enough clear chances." He also took a moment to look back at the whole season, his first in charge of the club. "I would've been quite happy with two 3rd places if you'd asked me before the season. At that time we didn't know what kind of team we'd have and we initially struggled with young and inexperienced Cambodian players. The decision to sign foreign players after a few games obviously gave us more depth and helped us to, with lots of hard work, create a solid team that we've seen in the last few months, take positive results against every single team. We've shown we have the qualities to compete and to be champions. I'm obviously disappointed about that, both times we were very close, in the cup and the league. All in all this season, I've learned a lot of lessons and a lot of things that can be improved upon in the future." 
PPCFC line-up: Seiha, Srin, Pheng (Seyha 70), Boris, Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Makara (Sothy 106), Borey, Ha-Neul (Suhana 70), van der Hooft. Subs not used: Ary, Soksela, Da, Dara, Lika, Morslim, Phearun, Pisa. Bookings: van der Hooft, Pheng, Makara, Seiha, Sokumpheak (+ red card). MOTM: van der Hooft.

Crown falter in semi-final

PPCFC v Svay Rieng. Back Row LtoR: Obadin, Boris, Ha-Neul, Thierry, van der Hooft, Srin. Front Row: Pheng, Suhana, Seiha, Sokumpheak, Borey (capt).

With a place in the Metfone C-League play-off final at stake, this semi-final, played at the Old Stadium on a less-than-satisfactory surface, pitched 2nd-placed Svay Rieng against Phnom Penh Crown, the third-place finishers in the 18-game domestic league season. Attracting a crowd of over 1,500, the match referee was the inexperienced Chi Samedy and he was the focus of a deluge of criticism at the final whistle. With Crown kicking off, they were almost caught napping after just 47 seconds as Sok Chanrasmey raced clear but fired weakly at Samrith Seiha with the goal at his mercy. Crown's first effort of note came on 8 minutes as Elroy van der Hooft headed a Bin Thierry corner wide of the target. At the other end, Svay Rieng's only corner of the match found Khuon Laboravy's head at the near post but Seiha was down smartly to thwart the danger. Moments later, Seiha needed treatment for a kick in the head after Laboravy left his foot dangling in a challenge. A Kouch Sokumpheak effort gave Am Sovannarath little trouble in the SR goal and Lee Ha-Neul's surge to the byeline and cross eluded everyone. On 24 minutes a weakly-struck clearance from Seiha landed at the feet of Tum Saray 25-yards from goal, and as Kok Boris backed off, Saray's shot from the edge of the box gave the former Preah Khan Reach team a soft one-goal advantage.

Crown threatened when Thierry's inswinging free-kick was fisted clear by Sovannarath but it was Svay Rieng who were celebrating a second goal on 36 minutes. Laboravy controlled a long pass, cut inside his marker and laid the ball off to Saray, who placed his low shot wide of Seiha's despairing dive and inside the post. A faltering start by Crown had been severely punished. However, less than a minute later, Crown were back in it, courtesy of Kouch Sokumpheak. Khim Borey was the provider and with a neat shimmy, Sokumpheak moved inside the penalty box and let rip with a vicious drive that gave Sovannarath no chance. Just four minutes later and it was level-pegging. Odion Obadin's cross-field pass was dummied by van der Hooft and Borey took the ball in his stride, cut in-field and unleashed a 25-yard screamer that dipped over Sovannarath's head and sent the Crown fans into raptures. It was a cracking goal and 2-2 was the half-time score.

Twice at the start of the second half, Sovannarath was forced to leave his goal-line and race out quickly to deny Borey and Hong Pheng. With Ha-Neul booked for kicking the ball against the hoarding and van der Hooft muscled to the ground, Crown were guilty of waiting for the whistle and Svay Rieng took advantage with a quick break ten minutes into the half. Laboravy crossed from the right and Saray got his head to the ball and though it lacked power, Seiha couldn't stop it crossing the line. It was Saray's hat-trick goal. Svay Rieng's James Adekunle was cautioned for challenging Ha-Neul with a leading arm that caused a mini confrontation between both teams. Seiha was in the way as Chanrasmey shot from Saray's pass and at the other end, Sos Suhana failed to attack a Ngoy Srin pass to the far post. A golden opportunity fell to substitute Leng Makara on 77 minutes, on for Ha-Neul, after Sokumpheak's cross fell to him fifteen yards out. Instead of guiding his shot inside the post, he stabbed it wide and the chance was wasted. Moments later, a lucky bounce sent Sokumpheak scrurrying clear but Sovannarath was quick to smother the breakaway. With twn minutes to go, one of Sokumpheak's succession of corners was met powerfully by the run and leap of Obadin but his goal-bound header was fisted over from under the bar by Sovannarath.

Seiha was alert to repel a drive to the near post by Lay Raksmey and Adekunle just managed to clear the danger in his own six-yard box as van der Hooft lunged for a Thierry pass. In the third minute of time added on, Svay Rieng sealed their win with a fourth goal. Catching Crown on the break, Prak Mony Udom crossed to the near post and Laboravy got a touch that out-foxed Seiha and the ball rolled agonisingly over the line. Two minutes later and Crown grabbed a goal but it was too little too late. Thierry's 20-yard free-kick was pushed onto the cross-bar by Sovannarath and as the ball bounced down onto the goal-line, van der Hooft dived to head in. Referee Samedy blew his whistle a minute later as Svay Rieng celebrated their success and the crowd took out their anger on the match officials. Crown coach Sam Schweingruber was understandably frustrated immediately after the game. "We should've been down after a minute. Some players were asleep, not concentrating, certainly not how we expected to start the game. 3 of their 4 goals would not normally go in. We've conceded just 5 goals in our last 9 matches and then we concede 4 goals like this in 1 game. We didn't deserve to win. We started off the 2nd half okay and with a bit of luck could've taken the lead, but we got frustrated with the referee and had all kinds of issues. On the counter attack we got punished, which is something we do to teams, but they did it to us. We were complaining too much, we lost the ball too much and we lost our discipline. We weren't the better team today and our lack of discipline at important moments cost us dearly." Crown must pick themselves up as they meet BBU in the third-place decider on Friday after the students were beaten 1-0 in extra time by Boeung Ket at the Olympic Stadium in the other semi-final.
PPCFC line-up: Seiha, Srin, Pheng, Boris, Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Suhana, Borey, Ha-Neul (Makara 71), van der Hooft. Subs not used: Ary, Soksela, Da, Narin, Lika, Dara, Seyha, Sothy, Morslim, Pisa. Bookings: Ha-Neul. MOTM: Sokumpheak.

Super 4 almost upon us

The Super 4 play-off semi-finals are almost upon us. These are the football federation's way of deciding the Metfone C-League champions, choosing a bleedin' play-off rather than the title being won by the team who consistently out-performs everyone else in the 18-game league campaign. Boeung Ket won the sprint for the league but won nothing, and are now joined by the next three teams, in the 4-team semis. Boeung Ket play the 4th-placed team, Build Bright, who netted an injury winner to outsmart NagaCorp and rob them of the fourth spot, while runners-up Svay Rieng (who used to be known as Preah Khan Reach but changed their name mid-season just to confuse everyone) will meet Phnom Penh Crown. Both semis take place this Saturday. However, in their infinite wisdom, actually that should be infinitesimal wisdom, the Federation have scheduled the two games to kick-off at the same time, 3pm, at different grounds. Boeung Ket get the Olympic Stadium. Svay Rieng, the Old Stadium. So instead of guaranteeing a bumper crowd at the Olympic Stadium, the FFC have split the matches. Brilliant. Nice job FFC. Again.

Phnom Penh Crown coach Sam Schweingruber, already pleased that his team made the play-offs as well as setting a new league record for the least number of goals conceded in 18 games, with a new total of just 13 goals, is in his first season in charge. He's already posted third place in the Hun Sen Cup and now wants to do better in the Super 4 deciders. He had this to say about his opponents, earlier today. “They are THE team that tries to play good passing football. Our mission is to stop them from playing. They are young and have good energy levels as well as a good understanding of each other, despite their young age. For our part, we have been training well including today at the Old Stadium, we’ve had special meals and meetings and are channelling all our attention to this important game. We have worked very hard in training and shown great discipline in our games in the second half of the season, aided by important goals from Elroy. We must have two more disciplined performances and a lot of hard work to become champions. We are certainly good enough to beat any team remaining in the final games, but its not an easy task. It will require strong team spirit and that bit of luck to go our way.” He has a full squad to choose from and the FFC have decided to be generous with their yellow card count, by knocking a card off the total of each of the players taking part in the semis, so that they have a better chance of making the final. Many of the Crown team for example, at least 8 players, would've missed the final if booked in the semi, and their team progressed. By the way, in line to get the Fair Play Award for least cautions/dismissals are Svay Rieng. 

It will be interesting to see which referee is appointed to the Crown semi-final. My money is on Khuon Virak. Why? Well for reasons known only to themselves, the FFC has sent Virak out to officiate in six Crown matches this season (out of 18), including four of their last six games. It makes no sense at all that the same referee is appointed for so many games, absolutely no sense. It got to the stage where Virak was the man in the middle for three consecutive matches, and for the three matches before that, Saing Sopheak was in charge, each time. This is an area that needs serious investigation by the FFC. 

Last but not least, a little bird whispered in my ear that the South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon, has been earmarked to take over the Cambodian national U-23 team that will take part in the SEA Games in Myanmar in December. I must admit I did chuckle at the suggestion, but the little bird was deadly serious. Re-appointing such an unsuccessful coach - his record in competitive matches was - Played 21 Won 4 Drew 3 Lost 14 Goals For 29 Against 54 - before his demise in the middle of last year, will be a backward step of monumental proportions. But why am I not surprised by the possibility. Watch this space.

Crown finish in 3rd spot

PPCFC. Back Row LtoR: Da, Seyha, Pisa, Ary, Narin, Lika. Front Row: Morslim, Dara, Phearun, Sothy (capt), Suhana - click to enlarge

Phnom Penh Crown's final regular match of the Metfone C-League season, to determine final league positions but not the championship, which will go to play-offs over the next two weeks, was against Kirivong, who had everything to play for. Crown's place in the play-offs was already assured. Crown coach Sam Schweingruber, with a list as long as your arm of players sitting on 1 yellow card away from suspension, took the obvious option and sidelined them all. That meant game-time for the remainder of his squad players, who must've thought they'd have a tough game on their hands, with Kirivong still able to make the top 4 if results went their way. Especially as Kirivong had recently beaten league leaders Boeung Ket 7-5. How wrong they were. It beggars belief how Boeung Ket could've conceded that many goals against a Kirivong team led by Friday Nwakuna but which turned out to be toothless and offered practically zero threat after the break. For Crown players like Mak Phearun, Ly Morslim and Chhom Pisa, who were starting a league game for the first time, their baptism in a game devoid of real star quality, was much less frenetic as they may've expected. With Friday just one goal behind the league's top scorer, you would've expected him to pose a threat and he twice came close in the first 15 minutes. At first he connected with a cross at the far post, but his touch deserted him and moments later, he fired in a low drive that Yok Ary saved with his feet. The Crown goalkeeper was in good form in the opening exchanges and soon pushed a far post header by Ek Vannak for a corner. A double save from Vannak and Heng Seyha followed as Kirivong sought an opening goal, whilst at the other end, Morslim put in Phearun but he rushed his shot and it hit the side netting. Sos Suhana sent a long range drive over the bar as Crown found their feet. How a swinging arm from Nhim Sovannara on Phearun didn't warrant at least a yellow card no-one could fathom and from the free-kick, Pisa fired in a 25-yard effort that struck the outside of the near post.

For all of the second half, bar a final last few minutes flurry, Kirivong were absent as an attacking force. That left Crown, with a makeshift strikeforce of Phearun and Morslim, to take control and with better finishing they could've and should've registered a goal. First Pisa and then Phearun chased balls into the box but couldn't get a shot away, then Suhana latched onto Leng Makara's header but fired straight into the hands of keeper Kim Makara. The same pair carved open the Kirivong defence soon after but the result was the same, with Makara stopping Suhana's effort. The match fizzled out into a midfield muddle until the closing minutes when Phan Bunlong shot wide, Friday did likewise and a free-kick from Heng Koemhoung was fisted clear by Ary in the final action of the match. A second string Crown line-up had held Kirivong with relative ease and at the same time, registered a new record with only 13 goals conceded in 18 league matches, beating the previous record held by Phnom Penh Empire of 15 goals in 2008. That was a real plus for coach Schweingruber. "While Kirivong had 2 or 3 good chances in the first-half, very hard defensive work by Crown restricted them to a few shots from distance after that. Our inexperienced attackers failed to get their shot away early enough when we went forward. We had better chances in the second half and on three occasions should have scored with one-on-one attempts with their keeper. Though we didn't score, we did succeed in our main objective of keeping a clean sheet for a 7th time and set the new record of conceding only 13 goals in the entire season - a big achievement and the result of many hours of hard work on the training pitch focusing on solid defense. Having released a lot of defenders and then losing Rady and Dani during the season, its an achievement to be proud of."
With superior goal difference to their nearest rivals Svay Rieng, it looked as though Crown would finish the season in second spot in the table with both teams finishing on 33 points, but in the game at the Old Stadium, AEU offered up no resistance as they were bullied into a 10-3 defeat, giving Svay Rieng second place by virtue of the same goal difference as Crown, but by scoring more goals. Crown wrapped up the regular season in 3rd spot.
PPCFC line-up: Ary, Da, Seyha, Narin, Lika, Sothy (capt), Pisa, Suhana, Phearun (Kano 72), Dara (Makara 57), Morslim (Ratana 81). Subs not used: Seiha, Srin, Pheng, Thierry, Sokumpheak. Bookings: Phearun. MOTM: Ary.

Divided loyalties

The PPCFC Academy in Timor with their police escort riders

Torn in two is how Phnom Penh Crown fans will feel this coming Saturday. Their C-League heroes, galloping towards the championship play-offs, have their final league match of the regular domestic season. But at the same time, the Crown Academy, loved universally for their enterprising style of play and carrying the hopes of Khmer football in the future, will also be in action, across town at a different venue. Unable to swap with other C-League matches, the senior team will face Kirivong at 4pm at Olympic Stadium, aiming to continue their end of season flourish, as well as seeking to break the C-League record for conceding the least number of goals in a season. They currently stand at a miserly13 goals, the record, held by Phnom Penh Empire in 2008, is fifteen. At the Old/Army Stadium, the Academy will entertain the Timor-Leste U-15s in another exciting Asean U-15 Champions Trophy tie, which will start at 3.45pm. It was only last week that Crown lost in Timor 4-1, so revenge is on everyone's mind this weekend. With less riding on the game at Olympic, as the seniors have already qualified for the play-off semi-finals, many PPCFC fans have already decided to pledge their support for the Academy youngsters, whilst others are torn between the two. It's an agonizing decision for many to make.

Elroy magic helps Crown qualify

PPCFC. Back Row LtoR: Obadin, Ha-Neul, Pheng, Boris, van der Hooft, Sokumpheak. Front Row: Sothy, Da, Suhana, Seiha, Borey

Elroy van der Hooft has a knack of grabbing the headlines. He did it again today, when he burst through the Asia Euro University defence like a hot knife through butter and then used the deftest of touches to finish off a fine piece of individual magic in only the third minute. It's not the first-time either - his acrobatic overhead-bicycle kick from last week is a YouTube hit - and we hope won't be the last, as he inspired Phnom Penh Crown to a 3-0 victory over AEU, which confirmed their spot in the end of season Super 4 play-offs. However, the Dutchman will miss next Saturday's final match of the regular domestic season after he picked up a booking and will have to sit it out with a one-match suspension. Crown were looking for nothing more than a win against Asia Euro University at the Olympic Stadium this afternoon, but had to do it without Bin Thierry, handed a suspension after collecting five yellow cards this campaign. His place in midfield went to Ouk Sothy. An early goal will settle any nerves and van der Hooft duly provided it. Receiving a pass forward by Kok Boris, he headed it on and burst between three defenders to the bye-line, taking on two more opponents he then poked the ball past the AEU keeper for a remarkable solo goal, his 11th since joining the club mid-way through this season. In the tenth minute, Lee Ha-Neul showed a defender a clean pair of heels but found keeper Um Sereyrath blocking his path at the near post. Moments later he robbed the keeper of the ball but was closed down as he shaped to shoot. With little goalmouth activity, a wild swinger from Khim Borey after a neat Crown move summed up the rest of the half, with only an Ouk Sothy rising shot that cleared the bar, worthy of mention before the half-time break.

An early booking for van der Hooft after an off-the-ball altercation and a knee injury nullified his impact in the second period. Crown were gunning for a second goal and Kouch Sokumpheak's pass found its way to Borey, but the skipper's low shot was blocked by Sereyrath's feet. At the other end, Samrith Seiha was called into action to save a Sary Mathnorothin free-kick that bounced awkwardly at the foot of the upright. On 70 minutes, Crown finally made the game safe with their second goal. Men Seyha and Hong Pheng combined to send Ha-Neul to the bye-line and his low center looked food and drink for Sereyrath, but the young keeper let the ball slip through his grasp and Sos Suhana gleefully tapped in the loose ball from close range. Seconds later Borey's neat chip put in Ha-Neul but his bobbling shot lacked power to beat the keeper. Five minutes after their second goal, Crown claimed their third. Borey had too much time to steer his pass into Hong Pheng's run into the box, and he chested it down and touched it past Sereyrath in one clinical movement to seal the result and confirm Crown's participation in the play-offs. Samrith Seiha had to deal with long range efforts from Oriola Adeseye and Sun Sovanrotha, but it was too little too late from AEU. Borey and then Chhom Pisa had late opportunities but both were snuffed out as Crown recorded the win they required.

Crown coach Sam Schweingruber was reservedly pleased. "It was our game plan to score early, but it didn't give us what I was hoping for. We were a bit over-confident maybe, were were a bit lazy in some situations too. We had a good shape but were too fragile after losing the ball and not coming back quick enough. I would've expected us to be more in control after scoring an early goal. The 2nd half was about being patient, in our build-up and stick to the game plan so I was happy that we scored 2 more goals to give us a comfortable win and progress to the semi-finals. Elroy's first goal was a touch of individual class, we know he can do that, but AEU were asleep and it was embarrassing for them how easy he was able to score." Crown have one game left, against Kirivong next Saturday, before they find out their play-off semi-final opponents, with the game set for the Army Stadium (unfortunately) on Saturday 13 July.
PPCFC line-up: Seiha, Da, Pheng, Boris, Obadin, Sothy (Pisa 81), Sokumpheak, Suhana (Morslim 82), Ha-Neul, Borey, van der Hooft (Seyha 63). Subs not used: Ary, Narin, Lika, Hasan, Dara, Makara, Srin, Phearun. Bookings: van der Hooft. MOTM: Ha-Neul.

Goal-less between casino teams

PPCFC v Naga. Back Row LtoR: Srin, Boris, Pheng, Thierry, Ha-Neul, Obadin. Front: Makara, Suhana, Seiha, Borey, Sokumpheak. Pic from CAM photoagency.

For their midweek Metfone C-League meeting with fellow top 4 casino side NagaCorp, Phnom Penh Crown coach Sam Schweingruber had to rest hot-shot Elroy van der Hooft with a knee injury. Aside from that, the team picked itself, with Leng Makara coming in as a replacement for the Dutchman. It was all Crown for the first half with Khim Borey's pass to Lee Ha-Neul giving the Korean a run on goal though his drive was inches too high. A poor clearance by Naga went straight to Ha-Neul but his guided shot lacked power to trouble the goalkeeper. Ishola Abiodun had Naga's sole attempt but his diving header found the side netting as Crown continued to dominate. Borey's through ball found Sos Suhana free in the box but his rolled shot rebounded to safety off the post. A Bin Thierry free-kick was spooned by keeper Phorn Ratana but the danger was cleared. Combination play between Kouch Sokumpheak and Ha-Neul released Borey but his low shot only found the near post side netting. The final chance of the first-half saw Borey drag his shot wide of the target from 20 yards out. After the break, both Suhana and Borey were halted by the Naga defence without any consideration for the ball. Later on, a Thierry corner fell to Suhana at the edge of the box but his powerful drive was turned away for a corner by a Naga arm, again no positive action by referee Chi Samedy. Finally, another corner found Odion Obadin steaming in at the far post but his header sailed wide. In time added on, Naga's Ou Lyhorng fired low against the foot of the upright with Naga's only goal-bound shot of the match and as play switched to the other end, Hong Pheng raced clear on goal, only to be stopped in his tracks by Samedy's whistle. He'd spotted a pull by Zogbe Anderson and the Nigerian was shown a second yellow and red cards, as the Crown players explained the advantage rule to the match referee. A truly shocking decision from the man in the middle that foiled Crown's attempt to claim all three points. PPCFC head coach Sam Schweingruber gave brief thoughts after the goal-less draw with Naga, which made no noticeable impression on the league table standings. "We failed to turn possession into solid chances, we came close on a few occasions in the first half, Suhana hit a post early on and there was a clear handball which the referee didn't spot from Suhana's volley late in the game. We restricted Naga to only one chance on 90 mins when they hit the post. All in all, a result we can live with, our effort was good but we didn't show enough quality and we know we can do better."
PPCFC line-up: Seiha, Srin, Pheng, Boris, Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Ha-Neul, Suhana, Makara (Seyha 83), Borey. Subs not used: Ary, Da, Narin, Dara, Lika, Sothy, Morslim, Kano, Phearun, Pisa. Bookings: Thierry, Sokumpheak. MOTM: Borey.

Elroy magic

PPCFC. Back Row LtoR: Boris, Ha-Neul, Seiha, Thierry, van der Hooft, Obadin. Front Row: Srin, Suhana, Pheng, Borey, Sokumpheak.

Phnom Penh Crown began their Metfone C-League clash with rivals Svay Rieng like a train and were in control and two goals up by 21 minutes into the match. With both sides looking to cement their top 4 credentials, it was Crown who showed the greater appetite as first Bin Thierry tried his luck and then skipper Khim Borey attempted a curling chip into the far corner but missed by inches. On 16 minutes they took the lead through their Dutch import Elroy van der Hooft, who is in a rich vein of goalscoring. Thierry's free-kick from wide on the left was missed by the defence, allowing van der Hooft to chip the ball over You Mesa and smash it home all in one quick-as-lightning move. Three minutes later, Lee Ha-Neul broke and fed van der Hooft but his first touch was too much and even though he managed to wrestle the ball from keeper Sar Sophea, he was quickly snuffed out by the retreating backline. However, the Flying Dutchman was not to be denied, and his second goal on 21 minutes, brought the crowd to their feet. Hong Pheng fed Odion Obadin wide on the left flank and his first-time cross was met by van der Hooft with an acrobatic bicycle-cum-overhead kick that caught everyone unawares. It was a stunning strike and his tenth goal since he joined the club at the mid-way stage of the season. Soon after he had the chance to make it three but his stubbed shot lacked power. Eight minutes before the break and Borey rolled a shot wide of the post, when it looked easier to score. Svay Rieng's first serious effort arrived as referee Khuon Virak was putting his whistle to his lips for the half-time interval. Prak Mony Udom found himself free at the far post but Samrith Seiha was well-placed to fist his shot over the cross-bar.

Just 33 seconds after the restrat, Khuon Laboravy blasted a shot a few inches wide but it was Crown who looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Lee Ha-Neul whacked a shot wide before van der Hooft cut to the bye-line and must've thought Hong Pheng would have done better with his free header at the far post. Instead, he headed harmlessly into Sophea's hands. Van der Hooft went down in agony after an innocuous clash and then lacked power when the ball rolled to him 15 yards out as he re-entered the fray. Svay Rieng finally began to ask Crown questions and a free Laboravy header from just six yards was pushed aside by Seiha, who was struggling with a leg injury. Also struggling, van der Hooft was cheered off the pitch when replaced by Leng Makara and it proved to be an inspired substitution, on 74 minutes. Two minutes later, Makara ghosted in at the far post to slot home an inch-perfect center by Borey to give Crown a commanding 3-goal lead. After dealing with two long-range efforts, Seiha finally gave into his injury as Yok Ary replaced him. Ha-Neul shrugged off a defender to fire in two low drives at Sophea, who repelled both and at the other end, Laboravy skated past Ngoy Srin and Ary but couldn't find the angle to trouble the scoreboard. Four minutes into time added on, Svay Rieng did manage a consolation as Udom fed Phanny Rotha, who benefitted from Obadin losing his feet, and the substitute found the net with ease. Referee Virak blew for full-time and managed to keep his cards in his pocket, giving Crown a 3-1 win, though they remain in third place in the league table.
PPCFC line-up: Seiha (Ary 80), Srin, Pheng, Boris, Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Suhana (Sothy 87), Ha-Neul, Borey, van der Hooft (Makara 74). Subs not used: Da, Narin, Dara, Lika, Seyha, Morslim, Phearun, Pisa,  Bookings: None. MOTM: Elroy van der Hooft.

Crown surge on

Too busy to post! Phnom Penh Crown senior team beat Svay Rieng 3-1 on Saturday afternoon, with Elroy netting 2 fab goals and Makara the other. That continues their fine form against teams at the top of the league table. Also at Olympic Stadium the same day, the Crown Academy went down to Chonburi FC 4-1 in the U-15 Asean Champions Trophy but put in a gutsy performance that entertained the big crowd. Chhuot Senteang scored the Academy's late consolation. The Academy are very soon en route to East Timor, where they play on Tuesday afternoon, the first Cambodian team ever to set foot in the country.

Reviewing the match

Touch Pancharong (6) keeps Chan Vathanaka at bay from referee Khuon Virak. Pic: Masayori Ishikawa.

There were a few things that jump out at you from the match yesterday. One of the most glaring was the persistent complaining/moaning/arguing of the Boeung Ket players with the match referee. Amongst their worst offenders was their wunderkind Chan Vathanaka, who perhaps was frustrated by starting the game on the bench. After he arrived on the pitch just after the half-hour, he then spent the rest of the match spitting venom at referee Khuon Virak, especially when Chukwuma Ohuruogu was dismissed and Touch Pancharong had to physically manhandle him away from the referee on three separate occasions in the space of under a minute, kicking out at Obadin and Borey, and pushing Thierry and Ha-Neul, before he finally lost it altogether and whilst berating the official, he pushed Virak in the chest, immediately after Boeung Ket's goal. On any pitch anywhere in the world that would've generated a straight red card. For whatever reason, Virak merely brandished a yellow card and the petulant youngster got away with it. I am still scratching my head how he didn't get an early bath. I also think back to how his play-acting/screaming in the earlier game between the two teams, eventually ended up with Ngoy Srin getting a 5-match ban. Where oh where is the justice in football. Talking of referees, can anyone explain to me when the Federation has a minimum of ten referees on its panel, how in the past six matches, games involving Phnom Penh Crown have only been refereed by two of them, namely Khuon Virak and Saing Sopheak, being in the middle for three games each. It simply doesn't make sense. Finally, there was an incident in the VIP area of the grandstand where items were thrown and yet the party responsible was not spoken to by the head of security, yet the target of the missiles was warned by said security official about their behaviour. The world is completely arse about face. The most satisfying aspect of the whole day though, was the 3-1 victory and the three points.

Sweet revenge

PPCFC. Back Row LtoR: Srin, Obadin, Boris, Thierry, van der Hooft, Ha-Neul. Front Row: Makara, Seiha, Pheng, Sokumpheak, Borey

Phnom Penh Crown were looking to avenge a 3-1 defeat earlier in the Metfone C-League campaign, as well as inflict another bodyblow to the beleaguered leaders, Boeung Ket, who have suffered a disastrous run of form since the mid-season break. Crown boss Sam Schweingruber chose from a fully-fit squad with keeper Samrith Seiha returning from suspension to the starting line-up. His team amde their intentions clear from the outset with Leng Makara breaking into the box and firing his shot straight at opposing keeper Penh Bunchhay. A booking for Befolo Mbarag for a foul on Elroy van der Hooft was to be a sub-plot to the game, with Boeung Ket's African trio hell-bent on stopping Crown's Flying Dutchman at all costs. A tactic that would backfire on them disastrously. With his 8th goal in five games, it was van der Hooft who opened the scoring after 18 minutes. A neat turn and swivel and the former Ajax prodigy showed his class with a powerful drive from twelve yards out to break the early deadlock. The move leading up to his strike involved Makara's pass out wide to Odion Obadin, whose cross to the far post was headed into van der Hooft's path by Kouch Sokumpheak. Former Crown starlet Keo Sokngorn whipped a free-kick across the face of Seiha's goal but the keeper's punch cleared the danger as play switched from end to end without enough incision from either team.

Just after the half hour, Boeung Ket brought on  Chan Vathanaka but it was Crown who made the next decisive move, scoring their second goal on 39 minutes. And it came straight off the training ground. An inswinging corner on the right by Bin Thierry was met by the perfectly-timed run and leap of captain Khim Borey and his header arrowed into the net at the near post. Two goals to the good and Crown were in control. Moments later, Chukwuma Ohuruogu was cautioned fro catching van der Hooft on the heel as they struggled to keep Crown at bay and Borey fired in a wicked drive which Bunchhay was equal to. In time added on by referee Khuon Virak, officiating Crown for the secodn week running, Keo Sokpheng hit the target only to find Seiha in the way to turn the shot away for a corner.

The wounded league leaders came out of the half-time interval looking to revive their flagging season, let along this match. Vathanak outpaced the Crown defenders but found Seiha blocking his route to goal and Sokngorn struck the cross-bar from just six yards out, when it looked easier to score. Van der Hooft robbed Ly Ravy but was wayward with his shot, though it was Boeung Ket who looked the more threatening at that stage. Sok Pheng's pull-back found Vathanaka lurking on the edge of the six-yard area but his drive cannoned off the bar and into Seiha's hands. Even Ohuruogu tried his luck from two yards inside his own half, with the ball clearing Seiha's goal by a matter of inches. It proved to be Ohuruogu's last positive moment as he resorted to a desperate pull to halt van der Hooft and received his second yellow, a red and an early bath on 64 minutes. A wayward Touch Pancharong cross bounced on the top of the bar as Boeung Ket continued their search for a comeback. Referee Virak controversially awarded them a free-kick when he adjudged Seiha had held onto the ball too long but Sumaila Momoh's effort from just inside the penalty area once again found the cross-bar an obstacle. Eleven minutes from the end, Crown allowed Vathanaka to squeeze in a bye-line cross and Sok Pheng outjumped his marker to grab the goal the Rubbermen had been longing for. Before the game could restart, Vathanaka lost his temper, not for the first time, and pushed referee Virak in the chest, but remarkably the match official only saw fit to flash a yellow card, when a straight red was warranted.

Crown coach Schweingruber made a couple of changes of his own, including a return of Sos Suhana after a few weeks of inactivity, and with six minutes on the clock, was jumping for joy as his team sealed the points with a third decisive goal. Thierry avoided three tackles and fed a hot knife through butter pass to van der Hooft, who let fly with a shot that was saved by Bunchhay's feet, only for Borey to pick-up the loose ball after another van der Hooft effort was blocked, side-step a defender and unleash an unstoppable drive into the top corner. Two goals for the Crown skipper and 3 points for his team. Though his shirt over the head celebration earned him a caution. There was still time for two more bookings for Boeung Ket, to take them to half a dozen, an extra six minutes added on that turned into nine by referee Virak and a Suhana break into the box that was only foiled by Bunchhay's outstretched leg. For coach Schweingruber it was sweet revenge for that early season reverse. "Brilliant result for us. A hard fight, we were hanging on a bit at times but we deserved it with a well-disciplined performance. Everyone worked extremely hard and put in a good team effort, including Borey who capped it with two goals. He's one of the players that has been moved all over the pitch this season, and each time he's responded positively, committed and disciplined. I was very pleased with his corner-kick goal, that was something we'd worked on in training."
PPCFC line-up: Seiha, Srin (Da 78), Pheng, Boris, Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Makara (Sothy 89), Ha-Neul (Suhana 84), Borey, van der Hooft. Subs not used: Ary, Dara, Lika, Seyha, Hasan, Morslim, Pisa, Phearun. Bookings: Pheng, Borey. MOTM: Borey.

Referee Khuon Virak closes his eyes and hopes for the best with the two captains

Crown keeper Samrith Seiha proudly displaying the club badge before the match

Khim Borey leads out the PPCFC team against Boeung Ket

The Boeung Ket starting line-up

Gunning for revenge

Tomorrow sees the eagerly-awaited return league match between Phnom Penh Crown, currently in 3rd place, against the league leaders Boeung Ket at Olympic Stadium, KO 2pm. In April, Boeung Ket with the help of referee Yean Kivatana beat 10-man Crown 3-1 during their run of ten consecutive league wins. Those heady days are a fading memory as in recent weeks the Rubbermen have crashed out of the AFC President's Cup and the Singapore Cup and come unstuck in league games against BBU and earlier this week, a peculiar 7-5 defeat by Kirivong. As the top six clubs battle it out for the Super 4 play-off places, I'm sure no quarter will be given in tomorrow's game as Crown seek their revenge, which will be shown live on TVK channel. Crown will be at full strength if Sos Suhana's ankle knock clears up and coach Sam Schweingruber will want a victory before he travels to Vietnam for the AFC U-14 Girls Championships, as coach of the national Girls team. Meanwhile, the Crown Academy boys were scheduled to be in East Timor this weekend for the latest in the Asean U-15 Champions Trophy series of matches, but flight schedules and the need to be back for Tuesday morning's friendly against the HAGL Arsenal Academy from Vietnam, at the opening of the national football center in Tonle Bati, meant the game was a non-starter. Hopes to re-arrange the game are currently floundering, as getting to and from East Timor is not straightforward. The next Academy game in the Asean competition is against Thailand's Chonburi FC Academy next Saturday at the Olympic Stadium, KO 4.30pm. Chonburi are one of the strongest teams so it'll prove to be a tough test for the boys.

Boring boring Army

PPCFC v Army. Back Row LtoR: Lika, Thierry, Obadin, Elroy, Ha-Neul, Pheng. Front Row: Seyha, Da, Ary, Sokumpheak, Borey (capt).

Phnom Penh Crown were looking to consolidate their top 4 place while Army were desperate to claw their way out of relegation danger in Sunday's Metfone C-League encounter at the Olympic Stadium. Crown were without regulars Samrith Seiha, Kok Boris and Sos Suhana and Army were missing a few as well. Army kicked off and within five minutes were celebrating taking a surprise lead. Vi Lika mistimed his clearance and the ball rolled under his foot to Meak Chhordaravuth who got his shot on target and wheeled away in delight as keeper Yok Ary failed to get a strong hand to it and the ball crept over the goal-line. After that, Army closed ranks and defended in numbers as Crown took total control and dominated possession, but found themselves frequently frustrated. Hong Pheng's shot on the run was blocked and a bouncing 30-yard drive from Khim Borey sailed a foot wide. Pheng and Elroy van der Hooft combined to create a shooting chance for Borey but he skied it from 20 yards out. Pheng was pulled down for a Bin Thierry free-kick on the bye-line but Phoung Soksana managed to knee it over his own cross-bar from six yards out. On the half-hour, Borey put Kouch Sokumpheak in but Sou Yaty was out quickly to smother and the same players reversed the move but Borey, in space on the left, sent his drive into Yaty's midriff. Last ditch defending snuffed out a smart Lee Ha-Neul foray and van der Hooft and Pheng worked the ball into the box only for the latter's shot to find Yaty in the way once again. In time added on, van der Hooft took a pass on his chest, flicked the ball over his marker but his effort was turned out for a corner, one of twelve Crown amassed, to Army's zero.

There was only one team trying to play football and Crown got the break they were pressing for, and deserved, five minutes after the re-start. Thierry played a short pass to Borey, and he unleashed a 30-yard drive that eluded Yaty's despairing dive and nestled in the corner of the net. Crown were poised to go on and win the match. But it didn't turn out as planned. Ha-Neul broke into the box but his cross was missed by Pheng. At the other end, Lika again missed his clearance and Ung Dara's cheeky lob from 35 yards had Ary back-pedalling but it just evaded the target. Apart from a free-kick straight into Ary's hands, that was Army's only foray forward.They continued to sit back and absorb the increasingly-frustrated Crown attack. Borey found Pheng at the far post but his control let him down. As it did again when Sokumpheak's slide-rule pass gave Pheng the perfect through-ball but Yaty was out smartish to snuff out the danger. Ha-Neil had a shot deflected wide and Pheng's low cross failed to find the waiting attackers. With time running out, Borey's superb 40-yard cross-field pass saw Leng Makara rise above a defender but Yaty was waiting to collect his downward header. An attempted clearance struck Makara and rebounded a foot wide of the upright from twenty yards out. Borey and Sokumpheak combined neatly but the latter's touch was too strong and Yaty again came to the rescue, and in time added on, he dived full length to divert a Borey free-kick for a corner. And that was it. The final score of 1-1 left Crown kicking the collective cat, having failed to turn their dominance into goals and a deserved victory. For Army, it was a means to an end, a point, but their  negative tactics will win them no fans.

Crown head coach Sam Schweingruber offered his thoughts on his team's performance and the Army tactics. "Any game can be difficult if you concede after five minutes and it was the ideal start for an opponent who didn't have the quality to challenge us, they just held in there, defending for the whole time, and if a team encourages each other after just ten minutes to waste time, then you know that team isn't there to play football, they are there just to frustrate you. Which they did. We were a complete mess for their goal, such a weak goal to give away. I'm glad we got a point as we could've got even more frustrated. We had spells where we looked okay and should've scored more goals but we made too many mistakes in our build-up, couldn't keep possession, not good enough in the box, no clinical finish. Our offensive play didn't glue together today." All in all a bad day at the office.
PPCFC line-up: Ary, Da (Srin 57), Seyha (Makara 65), Lika (Boris 85), Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Pheng, Borey, Ha-Neul, van der Hooft. Subs not used: Soksela, Phearun, Narin, Sothy, Dara, Hasan, Morslim, Pisa. Bookings: van der Hooft, Obadin. MOTM: Borey.

The Army starting XI v PPCFC made their intentions clear from the outset

The two men of the match were the captains, Khim Borey (red) and Sou Yaty (yellow)

Senate thrashed

PPCFC v Senate. Back Row LtoR: Obadin, Boris, Ha-Neul, Thierry, van der Hooft, Pheng. Front Row: Lika, Seyha, Seiha, Sokumpheak, Borey (capt)

Phnom Penh Crown thrashed Senate 8-1 this afternoon, pretty much as expected and though goals flowed, there should have been a flood. It was a Metfone C-League mis-match between the bottom club Senate, having a torrid time in their debut season, against a Crown team that's in-form. Or so they thought. Crown boss Sam Schweingruber welcomed back Bin Thierry after suspension and Elroy van der Hooft from the treatment table, but Sos Suhana and Ouk Sothy were both still on the injury list. On a slippery surface, Khim Borey forced a save from Kha Theara five minutes from the start but everyone in the Olympic Stadium heaved a collective murmur of surprise on 9 minutes when Senate took an unexpected lead. Puch Savuth took advantage of a slip by Kouch Sokumpheak and that extra yard gave him all the room he needed to curl a delightful shot inside the far post from the edge of the box. Senate couldn't quite believe their good fortune. It took Crown ten minutes to gather their wits and composure and Sokumpheak took a pass from Borey but his shot was deflected for one of 11 corners the home team collected in the game. From another Hong Pheng corner, van der Hooft got free but sent his diving header well wide. That was seconds before, in the 21st minute, Crown equalised and never looked back. Dutch marksman van der Hooft was on the spot to turn in Borey's unselfish low cross from a yard out, ending up tangled in the goal-netting. Borey's burst into the box was the product of a fifty-yard pass by Thierry that sailed over the defender's head. A few minutes later, van der Hooft and Kok Boris combined neatly only for the Flying Dutchman to send his powerful drive against the top of the upright. Crown's second goal was coming and on 28 minutes, South Korean Lee Ha-Neul, looking a danger whenever he got possession, duly obliged with his second goal in as many games. Pheng played a short corner to the edge of the box, Ha-Neul cut inside one defender and unleashed a ferocious shot which Theara couldn't keep out. Continuing to press as they went in search of a sackful of goals, Odion Obadin headed a Pheng corner weakly wide and Sokumpheak blasted high and wide, before van der Hooft, just two yards out, found Theara's arms instead of the net from another Borey low driven cross.

On 36 minutes Crown breached the shaky Senate defence once more. Ha-Neul bided his time before a prefect release sent Hong Pheng scooting free of his marker on the left side of the penalty area and as Theara came off his line, Pheng steered the ball inside the near post for number three. Chances continued to come and go, with Pheng crossing to Boris at the far post and his pull-back found van der Hooft off balance and Ha-Neul's reactive shot was deflected clear. With two minutes of the 1st-half remaining, Senate were dumbstruck by referee Sang Sopheak's decision to award a free-kick on the edge of the box instead of a penalty. As Ry Phearoeun broke through, Crown keeper Samrith Seiha appeared to win the ball and touch the player at least two yards inside the area, but Sopheak saw it as a foul, cautioning Seiha, but outside the box. Samuth Dalin's free-kick kissed the top of the cross-bar. With time up, Crown's final first-half miss fell again to their Dutchman, who lunged for a low cross by the advancing Pheng, but he couldn't direct the ball and it looped over the bar from six yards out. It didn't look like van der Hooft's day in front of goal.

Crown began the 2nd-half in total control with Ha-Neul dominating proceedings. Seven minutes in and he glided past three players with ease only for his shot to be blocked, and moments later tried twice more with goal-bound efforts only for Theara to stand firm in the Senate goal. Borey and Ha-Neul combined well but the Crown skipper was just a whisker away from connecting with the latter's inviting center. With Leng Makara joining the fray to add to Crown's attacking options, Ha-Neul avoided two tackles, setting up van der Hooft but he didn't get his shot away quickly enough and Theara got in a tackle. Next up, Bin Thierry slid in Borey but the striker was hesitant and Theara managed to clear when he looked second-best. Twenty-three minutes into the half and Ha-Neul's throughball gave Borey the room to send a slide-rule pass across the face of goal where van der Hooft was waiting to sweep the ball home for his second goal. More chances went begging as Pheng shot direct at Theara and then struck a first-time shot across the face of goal when it seemed easier to score. Squeezed between Pheng's misses, Ty Bunvicheth, at the other end, escaped Obadin's marking and it needed Seiha's boot to keep his shot out. Crown were immediately on the attack and their Dutch striker followed up to tap-in after Pheng had put Ha-Neul in space on the edge of the box, though Theara couldn't hold his stinging drive, and van der Hooft slotted in his hat-trick goal, on 76 minutes. Borey then stung Theara's hands with a drilled shot, before van der Hooft was on target again, with his third second-half goal in twelve minutes. Taking his own tally to four in the match, Borey was again the provider with a weighted first-time touch from Pheng's pass, which the former Ajax youth dispatched with venom into the corner for Crown's sixth, with ten minutes remaining.

There was no let-up for Senate as Crown went on the hunt for more goals, dominating possession and giving the C-League debutants a hard time. Sokumpheak touched in van der Hooft but he shot weakly at Theara, and then repeated the same act from a Ha-Neul pass. Thierry threaded a pass to substitute Makara and he broke clear of the pack, finding the target with some ease with only Theara to beat, with three minutes to go. A minute later, Ha-Neul robbed a defender but his drive was pushed wide by Theara's dive and then Ly Morslim's nifty feetwork gave Obadin a chance, but he too was off target with his shot. In the first minute of time added on, Makara was guilty of blasting the ball high and wide from a van der Hooft pass when it seemed easier to hit the target, and then three minutes into injury time, Crown scored their eighth and final goal. Ha-Neul and van der Hooft combined again with the 4-goal striker getting to the bye-line before lofting a cross to Borey, who controlled in an instant and appeared to toe-poke the ball into the far corner. It was a pleasing end to the game for the captain who'd set up three of his Dutch teammate's goals. 8-1 was the final score, the match had been as one-sided as the scoreline suggests and Crown moved into third spot in the league standings.
Line-up: Seiha, Boris, Seyha (Makara 62), Lika (Phearun 87), Obadin, Thierry, Sokumpheak, Ha-Neul, Pheng (Morslim 87), Borey, van der Hooft. Subs not used: Ary, Da, Ratana, Narin, Dara, Pisa. Bookings: Seiha. MOTM: Ha-Neul.

Foreign imports strike

PPCFC v Nat Police. Back Row LtoR: Seyha, Pheng, Boris, Ha-Neul, Lika, Obadin. Front Row: Sokumpheak, Da, Seiha, Makara, Borey (capt).

Phnom Penh Crown coach Sam Schweingruber beamed a big smile at the end of his team's 3-0 win over National Police at the Army Stadium today, as his Crown charges got their season back on track to move into third spot in the Metfone C-League. "It went really well today," said the Swiss-born coach. "It was about getting back to our Kirivong performance and forgetting the BBU disaster, and I think we did a good job in displaying that fighting attitude, belief, passion and motivation to win the game. The gameplan was to go for everything from the 1st minute and make it impossible for them to play through us...A very good day. We did a lot of things really well today. And no bookings, which makes a nice change, despite the referee giving almost everything against us the entire game." There were goals for each of Crown's foreign imports involved in the game, though Dutch striker Elroy van der Hooft missed out with a knee injury and French-born Bin Thierry sat out through suspension. Schweingruber will be pleased with the work-rate and positive attitude shown by his players today, they were often first to the ball, closing down their opponents in vital areas and reacting quickly on the break. They took the lead on 26 minutes through South Korean Lee Ha-Neul, who had a storming performance on his return from suspension, in only his second game. The Police defence failed to clear and Sky, as he's known to all, pounced on the loose ball and hit a first-time dipping drive that arrowed into the corner of the net from 25 yards out. Up to that point, it was all Crown. Ha-Neul had already tried his luck with a long range drive over the top before Leng Makara twice went agonisingly close. Picked out beautifully by Ha-Neul, Makara chested the ball forward but leaned back and skyed his shot from eight yards out 14 minutes into the match. Eight minutes later and Khim Borey skated past the full-back and delivered a pinpoint cross which Makara reached first but directed his header past the far post. Crown continued to press and cause Police concerns though they only had a Borey high and wide effort to show for their troubles. Ha-Neul looked to break into the box just before the break but was held back by San Thideth, who was fortunate just to get a yellow for his professional foul. Borey placed the free-kick wide of the target.

The pattern of the second half pretty much followed the first with Crown dominating and pulling the strings. Eight minutes in and Kouch Sokumpheak, revelling in a central midfield role, broke and crossed for Borey but Police stopper Yasuyuki Yoshida won the duel. Next up, Borey collected a Ha-Neul chip and weaved his way into the box but the opportunity to shoot fizzled out. Fifteen minutes played and a Ha-Neul thirty-yard shot was deflected for a corner. A peach of a corner kick from Sokumpheak was tipped onto Odion Obadin's head by Yoshida but the keeper was able to catch the rebound. Obadin was again in the action two minutes later as Sokumpheak's cross and Borey's neat touch set him up fifteen yards out, but his blast sailed past the far post. Crown increased their lead on 68 minutes from another corner power-play. Ha-Neul showed a clean pair of heels to Joel Omoraka on the bye-line and pulled it back, only to see Borey's tasty shot tipped onto the bar by Yoshida's amazing one-handed point-blank save. From the resulting corner, Sokumpheak's dead-ball was met by a surging run from Obadin and his powerful header gave Yoshida no chance. A minute later and the Police were down to ten men, Thideth picking up a silly second yellow for obvious dissent. There was no way back for the Police after that. With 15 minutes to go, Crown brought on their other Korean import, Choi Jae-Cheol and within a minute his compatriot had slotted him through but Yoshida was equal to his angled shot. With the clock ticking down, Ha-Neul chipped a cheeky ball over the top of the defence and Jae-Cheol's first-time lob just cleared the cross-bar. At the other end, Crown keeper Samrith Seiha was alert to thwart Tith Dina as he broke through the back-line for the first time in the match and fired in a goal-bound shot. Twenty seconds before the end of normal time, Kok Boris and Sos Suhana combined to put Jae-Cheol in space and his well-placed shot quickly nestled in the far corner for Crown's third. Yoshida denied Suhana in the fourth minute of injury time, but the damage had already been done and Crown's well-deservedd victory took them into third place above NagaCorp.
PPCFC Line-up: Seiha, Da, Seyha (Jae-Cheol 75), Lika, Obadin, Boris (Dara 91), Sokumpheak, Ha-Neul, Pheng, Makara (Suhana 65), Borey. Subs not used: Ary, Soksela, Ratana, Narin, Morslim, Kano, Phearun, Pisa. Bookings: None. MOTM: Ha-Neul.

Head coach Sam Schweingruber speaks to the press after the 3-0 success

2nd Round fixtures

A reminder of Phnom Penh Crown's 2nd Round of matches in the Metfone C-League. The top four clubs at the end of the domestic campaign, then meet in the Super 4 Play-offs to determine the champions. Not my ideal way of finding out which team deserves it.
The full 2nd Round fixtures for PPCFC are:
Sun 5 May v BBU - Army Stadium. PPCFC lost 1-0.
Sat 18 May v National Police - 3pm Army Stadium
Sun 2 Jun v Senate - 4pm Olympic Stadium
Sun 9 Jun v Army - 2pm Olympic
Sat 15 Jun v Boeung Ket - 2pm Olympic
Sat 22 Jun v Svay Rieng (ex-PKR) - 2pm Olympic
Wed 26 Jun v NagaCorp - 2pm Olympic
Sat 29 Jun v AEU - 4pm Olympic
Sat 6 Jul v Kirivong - 4pm Olympic.
Play-offs begin the following weekend. 

BBU aftermath

Coach Sam Schweingruber giving his half-time team talk

Phnom Penh Crown head coach Sam Schweingruber gave his views on his team's 1-0 defeat to BBU on Sunday. "We made a lot of individual mistakes today, we gave the ball away while we were hoping to push upfront and our transition was often too slow, getting ourselves into big trouble. We were a bit unlucky a few times, was it offside or not but the game didn't really go our direction, and too many mistakes by individuals made it impossible for us to control the game. I'll have to see the penalty incident again. I wasn't surprised the referee gave it when I saw the situation. We defended poorly throughout the game, we missed Tony's (Obadin) experience and leadership in central defence and we gave them too much space. We felt good in training this week, working a lot on defending and transition but not much of that good work was seen today.
To create chances we need to do something with the ball but we turned it over to the opposition way too much,and too easily. Good individual players struggled today to control the ball, taking too many touches, it just didn't run our way at all. Certainly the pitch doesn't favour a team trying to play good football. BBU looked for the long ball much of the time and we then fell into the same trap, going over the heads of midfield. The field is terrible, it doesn't make playing football easy. The grass is not cut, its way too long and its bumpy in the middle of the pitch, making it very difficult. I also couldn't understand a lot of the referee's decisions. Silly things like inconsistent flagging, it wasn't good and any 50/50 balls went against us every time."

Certainly the pitch at the Army Stadium has always been a bone of contention. Just take a stroll down the center of the pitch from one goalmouth to the other and you will see immediately how difficult it is to control the ball down the spine of the whole field. Tufts of uneven grass, areas of sand and mud, much of both goalmouths lacking any grass at all, make the pitch a virtual lottery for teams. The stadium authorities allow way too many games to be played at the stadium and then expect to stage professional Metfone C-League games on it - its simply not a good enough surface to be acceptable for first-class matches. Off the field, there are no changing rooms or shower facilities either and how the football federation allow matches to be played here is beyond my comprehension. I've said this before and will continue saying it until I'm blue in the face. C-League games should not be played at the Army Stadium. Period.

Looking at one of the goalmouths, minus the grass

Uneven new grass has been added down the spine of the pitch

This piece of grass is an example of the length to be found across the surface with the bare center of the pitch in the background

Indifferent Crown

PPCFC v BBU. Back Row, LtoR: Da, Boris, Seiha, Pheng, van der Hooft, Narin. Front: Sothy, Sokumpheak, Suhana, Makara, Borey.

After such a sterling team performance the week before to defeat Kirivong, it came as a surprise to everyone, the Phnom Penh Crown players included, how indifferent their display against Build Bright this afternoon could be. The same spirit and commitment was lacking, passes were poor in execution, defensively, we were not strong enough and last week's hat-trick hero Elroy van der Hooft was starved of service, after BBU took an early contentious lead. Referee Sang Sopheak felt Crown keeper Samrith Seiha had touched Chan Chaya's leg causing him to fall in the penalty area. Seiha disagreed vehemently. Chaya was happy to get one over on his former club as Prum Putsethy stepped up to send Seiha the wrong way in the 11th minute. It proved to be the only goal of the game. Crown began the match with four regulars suspended and a couple of others out with injury. BBU fired an early shot across Crown's bows when Pech Sina blasted high and wide when well-placed, whilst Sos Suhana broke into the BBU box only to see his drive saved at the second attempt by Sos Proshim. BBU then netted their debatable penalty, which saw skipper Sem Bunny pushing striker Ogudogun Ekelechukwu out of the area to allow Putsethy to take the kick, with the Nigerian angrily wagging his finger at his captain. The recent addition to the BBU line-up proved to be a thorn in Crown's side throughout the match and twice in two minutes he forced Seiha to smother a drive and then ran forty yards unopposed, only to blast his shot well wide. Six minutes before the break, Crown looked to have levelled when Suhana's neat flick from Leng Makara's pass eluded Proshim and nestled in the net. Referee Sopheak had other ideas and disallowed the effort for offside, which video later proved to be a poor call from the match officials. On the stroke of half-time, Seiha was alert to turn a Putsethy long-range skidder around the post.

Ekelechukwu was at it again at the start of the second period. After four minutes he left Leng Narin sitting down on the job but blasted over the bar and soon after, did the same to Seiha after he broke the offside trap, but as he rounded the keeper, he rolled his tap-in into the side netting. A lucky escape for Crown who surged up the other end and should've equalised. Suhana showed his marker a clean pair of heels as he surged into the box and laid on a low cross to Leng Makara at the far post. The winger had to tap home to level but spooned a glorious opportunity over the bar from close range. His miss would come back to haunt his team. Suhana drilled a 25-yard shot over the cross-bar and then brought on Choi Jae-Cheol for his first outing in a Crown jersey as they pressed for a goal with 17 minutes remaining. But it was BBU who nearly extended their lead as Ekelechukwu held off Thourng Da and fired a shot across the face of goal and just past the far upright. Within a minute, Jae-Cheol got his first touch, a downward header to Hong Pheng's deflected cross but Proshim was in the right place to collect. As Crown pressed, van der Hooft, battled free of his shadow, stole into the penalty area and let rip with a fierce shot only for it to hit a fallen Pin Pheara in front of goal. Two minutes later, van der Hooft controlled a pass from Khim Borey but directed his hasty shot across the face of goal and wide, while Kouch Sokumpheak was too wide to get a shot on target from Borey's cross and Crown were running out of time. Kouch Dani, opposing his former club, saw his free-kick punched clear by Seiha, who also held onto a long-range effort from Putsethy. Crown's final chance fell to Pheng in time added on but his low shot went straight into Proshim's hands and BBU were home and dry. Crown remain in 4th place having played their first match of the second round of the C-League campaign and will aim to remain in the play-off places as the season progresses.
PPCFC line-up: Seiha, Da, Pheng, Boris, Narin (Lika 57), Sothy, Suhana, Makara (Jae-Cheol 73), Sokumpheak, Borey, van der Hooft. Subs not used: Ary, Baraing, Dara, Dary, Kano, Seyha, Phearun, Ratana. Bookings: Boris. MOTM: Suhana.