Close-fought success

Wednesday 12 August 2015: Phnom Penh Crown 1 Nagaworld 0 (Metfone C-League).
In the first match played at Olympic Stadium this season, PPCFC took their unbeaten record to 13 matches with their 11th victory, thanks to a single Shane Booysen goal on 56 minutes. Sary Matnorotin created the opportunity with a persistent run down the right wing and his pull-back center was drilled inside the far post by Booysen for his 13th goal of the campaign. The first-half was largely uneventful though Samrith Seiha’s fingertips took Booysen’s cross off the head of George Bisan and at the other end Sun Sovannrithy headed over from a free-kick. Naga came out of their defensive shell after Crown took the lead with Barry Lelouma behind most of their offensive moves, though it was Bisan who strolled past three challenges but couldn’t beat Seiha’s outstretched hand. PPCFC keeper Yok Ary dived low to keep out a Kouch Sokumpheak snap-shot, Leng Makara headed one effort off the goal-line and an injury-time header from Thorn Darapich hit Dani Kouch in the chest as Crown collected yet another win bonus of 3 points, in a closely-fought contest.

Crown head coach Sam Schweingruber offered this assessment of yesterday's 1-0 win over Nagaworld at Olympic Stadium. "The first-half we gave their defence a holiday. A lack of movement and a lack of intensity, I've never seen my team act so slow in transition, probably our laziest performance of the season. Some of the players said it was very hot with a 3.30 game and we didn't have perfect preparation as we came late to the stadium, something we need to improve and make sure is not repeated. We applied ourselves better in the second-half. For the first fifteen minutes the players had a different attitude on the field and we did enough to be more switched on, quicker, we pressed in their half and because of that 15 minutes, we deserved the win, even though it was a bit nerve-wracking in the end. Too many players were very tired and struggling, so compliments to Naga for changing their formation and for 25 minutes they gave us a run for the money."