Crown in another rout

PPCFC U-15s Back row, LtoR: Saphy, Sovannaroth, Baraing, Chanchav, Chhaya, Rafat. Front: Chanmony, Kakada, Piphop, Noeut, Piseth (capt) - click to enlarge

Phnom Penh Crown Academy U-15s are on a mission this season it seems. To destroy every team they meet in the new Cambodia U-15 Youth League. So far they have won their matches, 27-0, 8-1, 21-0 and earlier today, on a pitch that was a nightmare for both teams, they ran out 23-0 winners over the plucky Komar Ampor Wan youngsters at the Dept of Sports field in Tuol Kork. Overnight rain left the pitch waterlogged with surface water lying in pools that made passing football a non-event over most of the field. That said, Crown's strength on the ball, their control, passing and superior fitness was the main obstacle that the opposition couldn't handle. On a better surface, goodness knows what the final score would've been. With just thirteen players to choose from, with Lim Pisoth out with a broken arm and others also missing through injury, coach Bouy Dary kept Suon Noeut in attack and he responded with another seven goals, taking his personal tally to 31 goals in 4 games. Sin Kakada opened the sluice-gates on five minutes with a calm finish and Noeut was quick to join him, tapping in a Seut Baraing cross. On 14 minutes, Men Piphop was brought down and promptly got up to plant his 20-yard free-kick into the top corner. Three minutes later and Kim Chhaya found the same top corner from the same distance. It was his fifth effort on goal, though the only one on target. 21 minutes in and Noeut placed Kakada's cross into the bottom corner and a minute later, skipper Mao Piseth cut inside onto Piphop's blocked shot and lifted the ball into the roof of the net. Another minute on and Piphop whacked in Crown's seventh from the edge of the area. Noeut's hat-trick came on 27 minutes, tucking home at the far post from Baraing's center and two minutes later, Piseth followed up to score after Kakada's shot was stopped but not held by the keeper. Chhaya sent a 25-yard effort into the net on 34 minutes as he finally found his range, Piphop made the keeper pay for a poor kick-out with a decisive finish three minutes later, and Noeut slid in his fourth from Chhaya's pass five minutes before the break. Crown led 12-0 at the interval. Ampoor Wan had not managed a shot for the whole first-half.

Svang Samnang came on in goal and Kung Rafat moved to central defence before the second-half got underway. Three minutes in and Piseth had a simple header from a yard for his hat-trick from Piphop's corner. Two minutes later and Noeut fired in after Baraing's corner fell at his feet, and then chested down Piphop's cross to score again. Just after the hour, Kakada was hauled down and stepped up to tuck the penalty inside the post with great confidence despite a pool of water on the penalty spot. Five minutes on and Noeut made the keeper pay for another weak kick out, lashing the ball past him. Baraing ventured upfield soon after and unleashed a 20-yard effort into the roof of the net with devastating effect. On 77 minutes the same player cut inside two defenders and slotted his shot through the eye of a needle inside the near post for his second. Both Chhaya and Kakada had struck the woodwork before another poor clearance fell to Piseth and he confidently despatched the ball for Crown's 20th goal nine minutes from time. Exactly a minute later and Piphop executed a neat finish from Baraing's pass, with Chhaya then rounding off Noeut's run with five minutes to go. Substitute San David made it 23 without reply, or even a shot, when his quick feet took him past three defenders and he poked the ball under the keeper for a great way to finish the rout, a minute form the final whistle. A job well done.
PPCFC U-15s v KAWan: Rafat, Chanmony, Baraing, Sovannaroth (S Samnang 46), Saphy, Chanchav, Chhaya, Kakada (S David 75), Piphop, Piseth, Noeut. Sub not used: Ronaldo. MOTM: Piphop - 4 goals, 4 assists, non-stop running. Goals: Noeut 7 (9, 21, 27, 40, 50, 52, 67), Piphop 4 (14, 23, 37, 82), Piseth 4 (22, 29, 48, 81), Chhaya 3 (27, 34, 85), Kakada 2 (5, 62pen), Baraing 2 (69, 77), S David (89).

Sin Kakada taking a penalty in a puddle - he scored

The plucky Komar Ampor Wan team, thrashed 23-0 by PPCFC U-15s