One-sided

Khim Borey's hat-trick for the Army helped to defeat the Black Cats 5-1

The scorelines from this afternoon's two Metfone C-league matches at Olympic Stadium were both 5-1 in favour of the Army and BBU and suggest two one-sided fixtures. But actually that wasn't the case with Chhma Khmao and Khemara putting up some dogged resistance but finally caving in at the end, leaving BBU to go back to the top of the league and the Army in third place.
The first match kicked off in the middle of a thunderstorm, with rain coming down in buckets, most of the umbrellas surrounding the pitch had blown away, as had one of the portable dug-outs. The downpour left puddles on the pitch surface and the rain carried on until half-time. The Army netted their first after 6 minutes and it looked like it was going to be a mauling, when Khim Borey finished off a neat move between Pum Tola and Sin Dalin. However, though Army had the best of the possession, the better chances fell to the Black Cats from Svay Rieng. Sok Kolamara chipped Army keeper Sou Yaty but saw his effort rebound off the post whilst Yaty had to be at his very best to keep out Mom Davy's penalty five minutes before the break. It was a superb stop at the foot of the post with a strong left hand from Yaty keeping his team in front.

With the game kicking off in a thunderstorm, the Army automatically line-up for a team photo with no photographers present

A look at the sky above Olympic just before the storm began

The Ministry of National Defense set about their task with purpose after the interval, in a game which saw both teams line-up with only Khmer players on show. Sin Dalin and Khim Borey hit the woodwork but the latter was in acres of space to nod in a cross to the far post by Pum Tola ten minutes into the 2nd half. With the Black Cats' keeper carried off, his replacement's first task was to pick the ball out of the net just past the hour when Sin Dalin volleyed in a Pum Tola cross from close range. Five minutes later Khim Borey registered his hat-trick, controlling another Tola pass on his chest and firing in a near post shot that the keeper failed to block. Centre-half Thong Oudom joined in the fun and games with a powerful header at a corner on 82 minutes before Sok Kolamara slalomed through three tackles and netted a neat finish past Yaty to give the Cats a small consolation, just before the end. To little, too late and the Army consolidated third place.

The BBU line-up that beat Khemara 5-1 to move back to the top. LtoR (back) Pich Chealy, Sinoun, Ogbni, Sothearath, Bun Hieng, Simay (front) Sam, Chandara, Putsethy, Sovannara, Veasna.

Despite some appalling recent form, Khemara were in the mood for their match against BBU and for 35 minutes gave as good as they got but two goals in three minutes killed them off and confined them to yet another heavy defeat. Build Bright weren't at their best early doors but with a bullet header from full-back Nhim Sovannara and a clever shot on the turn from Nuth Sinoun, they went in two goals ahead at the interval. 4 minutes in, Khemara sensed a possible comeback when stand-in striker Suon Makara netted but a minute later Nuth Sinoun scored again and the resistance was broken. Just another five minutes later and Prum Putsethy put it beyond doubt with a curler into the far post. Twelve minutes from time Oum Chandara cashed in on a Kun Kuon mishap, walloping the ball in from a yard out to give BBU a 5-1 finish and regain top spot in the table from Crown.

Plucky Khemara put up a fight but it wasn't good enough

The sun was out for the start of the 2nd match with Kuoch Sokumpheak leading out Khemara in red/white