Laos through by rulebook

Not that it matters to Cambodia, but the AFC have delved deep into the rule book and have amended the list of qualifiers for the final stages of the AFC Challenge Cup next year, following Brunei's last-minute withdrawal from the competition. The seven qualifiers who will joins hosts Maldives in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup have been confirmed, with Laos and Turkmenistan receiving a ticket to next year’s finals as the two best runners-up. Brunei's pull-out in Group E meant that the results of the matches in the four other groups between the runner-up and the bottom-placed team were declared null and void based on Article 16.1 and Appendix 2 of the tournament regulations.
The affected matches were as follows:
Group A: India 2-1 Chinese Taipei
Group B: Macau 0-3 Tajikistan
Group C: Laos 1-1 Mongolia
Group D: Bangladesh 4-0 Northern Mariana Islands
So with these results no longer being factored into the outcome, Laos emerged as the best of the second-placed team with four points. Turkmenistan, AFC Challenge Cup runners-up in 2012 and 2010, took the second ticket to the Maldives, with their superior goal difference separating them from 2008 champions India, Bangladesh (who originally celebrated getting through only to have that rug pulled firmly out from beneath them) and inaugural winners Tajikistan, who all finished with three points.

Grapevine news

The grapevine informs me, before any official announcement, that Cambodia will take a squad of 22 players to the Philippines on Wednesday ready for their first AFC Challenge Cup qualifying tie against Turkmenistan two days later on Friday. From the squad of 25 players who took on Boeung Ket in last Friday's practice match, I understand that two players carrying injuries, Naga's Choun Chum and Sun Sovannrithy, will not travel, as well as PKR's Khuon Laboravy, just back after a seven month spell on the touchlines. That means that four Phnom Penh Crown players will make the trip - goalkeeper Samrith Seiha, Sos Suhana, Kouch Sokumpheak and Khim Borey. After the Turkmenistan game on 22 March, Cambodia meet hosts Philippines on Sunday (24 Mar) and then Brunei on Tuesday (26 Mar). Only the group winners are guaranteed entry into next year's finals. Turkmenistan are the favourites to top the table though the Philippines will be gunning for goals in their matches against Brunei and Cambodia in an effort to get the best-placed runners-up spot, as two second-placed teams also qualify. It's a very tough task for Cambodia against nations of the caliber of Turkmenistan and Philippines, who will call on eight overseas players for their squad, and their best bet for a positive result must be against the ever-improving Brunei.
The Cambodia squad is as follows: Yaty, Seiha, Bunchhay, Raksmey, Khemrin, Pancharong, Tiny, Piseth, Thavrak, Rithy, Narith, Phallin, Sopanha, Veasna, Chanrasmey, PM Udom, Chhoeun, Suhana, Vathanak, Borey, Vathanaka, Sokumpheak.

Slim chances

Let's be very clear about this, Cambodia's chances of qualifying for the eight-team AFC Challenge Cup final stages next year are about as slim as they can get. Buoyed by their recent win over the Malaysian U-23s, they take on Boeung Ket, the MCL leaders in a friendly tomorrow at the Olympic Stadium, before they head to Manila in the Philippines for their three much tougher Challenge Cup qualifying matches between 22-26 March. Their chances are pretty much non-existent because they face Turkmenistan in their first match on 22 March and the former Soviet Union republic are one of the strongest teams in the region. In fact they finished runners-up in the last two competitions, beaten on both occasions by North Korea. Also in group E and meeting Cambodia on 24 March, are hosts the Philippines, the third placed team in the Challenge Cup in 2012 and like Turkmenistan, some forty or so places above Cambodia in the FIFA world rankings. Cambodia may look to their 0-0 draw with the Philippines at the Olympic Stadium last September for some comfort, but the Azkals take their cup football very seriously, so we can safely ignore that result. The third opponent for Cambodia will be Brunei Darussalam, on 26 March, a place below the Khmers in the FIFA rankings, at 186th, but they are on the up and beat Cambodia in their last meeting, a 3-2 Suzuki Cup win last October. That final game will likely decide the group wooden spoonists, so there is pride at stake, if results go with form. Only the group winners from the five groups, and the two best runners-up will go onto join the hosts, Maldives in the finals. Initially, Cambodia withdrew from the competition last October, citing financial and competitive concerns - they may live to regret changing their minds.

All change, again

The fall-out from the football federation's late decision to enter the AFC Challenge Cup afterall - they initially said they were pulling out to concentrate on grassroots football and because they didn't have the money - is just about to be felt in domestic football circles. The appointment of Prak Sovannara as the head coach and his notice that fifty players were in line for what are effectively national team trials, have prompted the federation to muck about with the start of the Metfone C-League season. It was due to begin on 1 January with Phnom Penh Crown facing BBU, but that's been canned by the FFC and they've announced that it will not start until 12 January and after that, only at the weekends until the AFC Challenge Cup competition has been completed. In the next ten days the trials will take place and Sovannara will reduce his squad to a final thirty by the end of the year, when the national team will get together for a squad training session for four days. These squad sessions will then happen three days a week; Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Players will be released to train/play with their club teams on Wednesday and Thursday (the day set aside for Hun Sen Cup matches, which will continue unaffected) and at weekends (C-League matches). In effect, depriving the clubs of their best players for a substantial part of the next two months and giving club coaches a real headache in terms of suitable preparation and tactics before league and cup matches. And that's if the players return from national duty without injury. There was no consultation with the clubs as far as I know. It's simply a done deal. For Phnom Penh Crown, it will mean re-scheduling four C-League matches against BBU, National Police, Preah Khan and AEU.

Other news to come out today concerns the Cambodia national team. The plan is to play a friendly, maybe two, against the visiting Ulsan University team in the first week of January. All squad training sessions will be at either the Olympic Stadium or Crown's RSN Stadium, on the days I've listed above, until the squad enter a training camp from 17-24 Feb, either at Tonle Bati or abroad, playing a series of four or five practice matches. They will have another friendly on 25 Feb in Phnom Penh before departing for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying group in Philippines on 27 Feb. They will then meet Turkmenistan on 2 Mar, Philippines on 4 Mar and Brunei on 6 Mar, hoping to gain one of the qualification places.

Heading to oblivion

I am scratching my head, trying to understand exactly where the football federation of Cambodia are heading. The word, oblivion, springs to mind. There's been such a long list of blunders, inept decisions and hair-brained schemes in the last few years but I think today they finally outdid themselves with the announcement that they are turning their back on international football. Other decisions beggar belief, such as bringing forward the league season by 3 months without consulting anyone, but to effectively disband the senior national team for the whole of next year, quite simply means they have lost touch with reality, and certainly the respect of every football fan on the terraces. The news came out today that the federation, announced by their spokesman May Tola, have decided not to take part in the next edition of the AFC Challenge Cup, the competition for half of the Asian football nations, flagged as emerging countries, and which offers a route into the heavyweight AFC Asian Cup. With only the SEA Games, which is an Under-23 tournament, on the official calendar for 2013, that means the senior Cambodia national team have no competitive matches next year. It's actually a repeat of the year leading up to the recent AFF Suzuki Cup disaster in Laos, as the national team failed to play an international match during the previous twelve months. They may as well put the national team into hibernation and throw away the key. With this one decision, they have undermined every Cambodian player who has dreams of wearing the national team shirt with pride, as well as every football fan who hopes that the next international game will see the Cambodian team reverse their abysmal record.

The official reasoning behind the decision is as follows: "The FFC wants to concentrate on building youth and grassroots programs (in the country)," with the statement also citing limited financial reach due to the ongoing construction of the country's new national football center in Bati. There is no mention of why the funds provided by FIFA towards the new football center, the sponsorship money from Metfone for the league competition as well as a myriad of other sponsorship deals, is not sufficient for the FFC to manage their finances, in such a way that allows the national team to fulfill even their most basic commitments. The lack of grassroots and youth development by the federation has been painfully obvious, so a commitment to that sounds laudable, but not at the expense of disbanding the national team. The national team is the pinnacle of football in any country - take that away and you leave a void that will be difficult to recover from. The response from online football fans is one of disbelief, an emotion I share. They have suffered in silence whilst the federation have overseen a slump in fortunes that reached an all-time low under South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon. The horror show continued in Laos a couple of weeks ago under the now-departed Hok Sochetra. The fans were looking forward to raising their spirits with an incoming new coach, but without any international matches to play, there's no reason to employ anyone, anytime soon. That in itself is a damning indictment of the federation.

The future certainly looks bleak. The SEA Games are at the end of 2013 in Myanmar. For Cambodia's U-23 team. For the senior national team, the next edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers is in 2014, whilst the next World Cup qualification competition is in 2015. We have no idea what the federation's plans are, as they rarely speak in public, let alone share their strategic plans for the future. It's a closed shop. They are a law unto themselves. They make decisions unilaterally, usually announce them at the last minute, and leave everyone else to pick up the pieces. In this instance, they have swiped the carpet from under the feet of every football fan in the country, without any reasoning that holds water. I fear for the game of football in Cambodia if this situation continues.

Defeat in thriller

Cambodia line-up: [Back Row LtoR]: Mic, Nasa, Tiny, S Rithy, Pheng, Sopanha. [Front Row]: Rady, Sothearith, Pancharong, Sokumpheak, PM Udom

Cambodia ended their Group C games in the AFC Challenge Cup tonight with a bang, going down 4-3 to the former Russian Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Head coach Lee Tae-Hoon tinkered with his starting line-up again and for this consolation rubber, made five changes from the previous match. The game started badly as usual, with Cambodia allowing their opponents to gain the upper hand with a goal from Aziz Sydykov after just 4 minutes. On the back foot again. A headed goal from Kouch Sokumpheak on 38 minutes looked likely to take the teams in level at the interval until a Rustem Usanov header in time added on gave the Kyrgyz the advantage at the break. Not to be outdone, Sokumpheak stepped up to the mark again, 3 minutes into the 2nd half to level it at 2-2. In what sounds like an intriguing encounter, there was some controversy over the third Kyrgyz goal on 79 minutes by substitute Cholponbek Esenkul and the same player netted again 5 minutes later to put them firmly in front. A Sok Rithy header 2 minutes from time caused some flutters but Cambodia couldn't find a way back and succumbed 4-3 at the final whistle. Cambodia's team: Mic, Rady, Pancharong (T Udom 84), S Rithy, Tiny, Sopanha (Veasna 75), Sothearath, PM Udom, Sokumpheak, Nasa, Pheng (Laboravy 48). Subs not used: Bunchhay, Piseth, C Rithy, Chhoeurn. Attendance: 1,000.
After the match, coach Lee offered these pearls of wisdom to the assembled press. "Compared to the previous two games, we played very well tonight. That's sign of improvement. We had just four days to practice together before travelling to the Maldives. We failed to score in the last two games but tonight we scored, which is good." Can someone remind the coach that he had the players together for months, not days, prior to this competition. Also, you need to score goals to win any game, but if he paid more attention to his team's defending and not conceding early goals, then that would be the starting point. In each of the three games Cambodia gave themselves a mountain to climb by letting in very early goals, something which the coach fails to mention. The Kyrgyz camp had a different take on the game. Murat, their assistant coach said; "We made so many changes for this game. Though we won, we are not happy with the result and the performance. Cambodia tried hard and they scored from every chance they created." Earlier in the evening, hosts Maldives drew 0-0 with Tajikistan to claim top spot in the group on goal difference. Both teams progress through to the finals next year. Cambodia do not.

Tasting defeat

Cambodia v Tajikistan; Back Row LtoR: Soksana, C Rithy, Bunchhay, S Rithy, Laboravy, Tiny. Front Row: Rady, Sothearath, Veasna, Pancharong, Sokumpheak

Can you adam and eve it? Cambodia went behind to another goal in the 1st minute against Tajikistan tonight in their AFC Challenge Cup Group C tie. Needing a win to have a real chance to stay in the hunt for a place in the finals, Cambodia had a case of deja vu after Maldives scored in the 1st minute of their match two days ago. In their recurring nightmare, Nuriddin Davronov netted from close range for the former Russian republic, who won their first match against Kyrgyzstan. Two more goals in the last ten minutes killed off Cambodia's challenge, as they went down 3-0. Davronjon Ergashev netted after 82 minutes and then Ibragim Rabimov scored a third with a couple of minutes remaining. Cambodia's coach Lee Tae-Hoon made no less than six changes from the starting line-up he chose in the 1st game, as he responded to the dismal showing. However, his new plan didn't work out either as the group favourites always had the upper hand and came on strong as the game wore on. Two defeats in two games leaves Cambodia out of contention, with just a consolation game against Kyrgyzstan to come on Friday. The only player he hasn't used so far is the Army's Thong Udom, so he will definitely get a game in that one. The Cambodia line-up was: Bunchhay, Rady, Pancharong, Tiny, S Rithy, Sothearath (Sopanha 67), Veasna, Soksana (Pheng 56), C Rithy, Laboravy, Sokumpheak (Chhoeurn 77). Subs not used: Mic, Raksmey, Piseth, T Udom, PM Udom, El Nasa. Attendance 550. Earlier in the day, hosts Maldives scored another success with a 2-1 win over the Kyrg team to book their place in the finals.

Aftermath

I really didn't want to hear this from the Maldives camp after they comprehensively dismissed the Cambodian national team in last night's AFC Challenge Cup tie, winning 4-0. The Maldives skipper, star player and hat-trick hero, Ali Ashfaq told the press after the game: "The coach doesn't know much about us. The coach asked before the game, how we wanted to play. We told the coach, we wanted to press and play a pressured game for the first 20 minutes and to score a goal during that period. The plan worked. Now the coach would know our level of football, so he could make a plan for the next games."
The new Maldives coach, Argentinian Diego Cruciani, a former coach of Bangladesh, who's monthly salary and other expenses are paid for by Kuwait, agreed. "You should not congratulate me. All the credit goes to the players. I just had three practice sessions with the players and I don't know them very well. So I asked them before the match, how they want to face the game. They said, coach we want to win the game. We want to play a pressing game in the first few minutes. I told them, yes let's do it! So all the credit goes to them."
Does his salary as the coach go to them to I wonder? Is this player power in action? Maybe Lee Tae-Hoon would do well to ask his players how they wanted to play in the next game against Tajikistan on Wednesday in the 2nd match of Group C. And then the South Korean FA, who pay Lee's salary, can pass that onto the players. They certainly couldn't do any worse. We have to ask the question how a country of 300,000 fishermen and hotel personnel can so comprehensively beat a Cambodian team (drawn from a population of 14 million) after just three training sessions with their new coach. Lee has been in charge of the national team since August and between the unsuccessful 3-game stint in the Suzuki Cup and qualification for the current competition, he's had almost unrestricted access to his national squad for that whole period, playing a plethora of friendly games, including a 4-1 spanking by a Korean university team, and training sessions. Yet despite all that we arrive in the Maldives without key players, left behind by the coach in a fit of pique, and get another walloping, this time meted out by a team below us in the FIFA rankings. I'm not surprised as we suffered an ignominious loss to one of the region's whipping-boys in Macau as well, only scraping through 5-4 on aggregate. All in all it doesn't add up to carrying great armfuls of optimism into Wednesday's game against the strongest team in Group C from the ex-Russian republic of Tajikistan. I fear the worst. I am equally concerned that we could find ourselves out in the international wilderness with World Cup qualifying matches coming up in the middle of the year, which if we carry on in the same vein, will most likely result in the same disappointment. Cambodia are ranked in 30th place amongst the Asian qualifiers and will know their World Cup opponents on 30 March.

Sunk in the Maldives

Ali Ashfaq nets for Maldives in the 41st minute; he went onto score a hat-trick

A 1st half of woe for the Cambodia national team in Male. Maldives, the home nation in this AFC Challenge Cup Group C qualifying match scored in the 1st and the 41st minute to take a 2-nil lead into the half-time interval, in front of 8,000 spectators. From the live commentary on maldivesoccer.com it looked like the Maldives had most of the ball in the 1st 45 minutes, with Khuon Laboravy finally getting Cambodia's first shot on target in the 39th minute. Maldives took the earliest of leads when Mukhuthar Naseer netted in the opening minute from an acute angle. The worst possible start for Cambodia. With the half-time break approaching, the Maldives, through their influential skipper Ali Ashfaq scored their 2nd goal, leaving Cambodia with a mountain to climb. We did a little better in the 2nd half but two more goals from the talismanic Ali Ashfaq, in the 83rd and 87th minutes left Cambodia to lick their wounds after a 4-0 defeat. The starting line-up for Cambodia: Mic, Raksmey, Pancharong, Piseth, Tiny, Sothearath, Sopanha, PM Udom (C Rithy 74), Laboravy (Chhoeurn 45), Nasa (Pheng 44), Sokumpheak. Unused subs: Bunchhay, Rady, S Rithy, Soksana, T Udom, Veasna. The Group C favourites are Tajikistan and they beat arch-rivals and neighbours Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in the earlier kick-off, with an own goal three minutes from time.
Cambodia's South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon admitted his team were well beaten. "The Maldivian side were too good for us. They played superbly today. We have got some very young players and we are gaining experience from these matches. The opponents that we face in these matches are very good and it's a good experience for the players. They would learn from the mistakes they did today and hopefully they would improve in the next game."

Cambodia's starting line-up v Maldives: Back Row LtoR: Mic, PM Udom, Sopanha, Piseth, Tiny, Laboravy. Front Row; Sothearath, Pancharong, Nasa, Sokumpheak, Raksmey.

A tough ask for Cambodia

The Cambodian national team prepare for departure

It pains me to say it but the Cambodian national team will really have their work cut out to progress from their AFC Challenge Cup group matches, that are being staged in Male, in the Maldives this week. On paper the Cambodia team are ranked by FIFA as the 2nd best team in the group in 154th place, though with home advantage I expect Maldives to put in that extra effort when the teams meet later tonight. Maldives are ranked in 161st place and will be no push-overs. The best team in the group are undoubtedly Tajikistan (ranked 148th) and they grabbed third place in the 2010 Challenge Cup competition, so the match against Cambodia on Wednesday (23 Mar) will be a tough ask for our boys. Incidentally, Tajikistan won the competition in 2006 and were runners-up in 2008. The final game on Friday (25 Mar) will be against 174th placed Kyrgyzstan, but they finished in 3rd spot in 2006 and have a good club pedigree in the President's Cup. All 3 of Cambodia's matches begin at 11pm Cambodian time.

In the 2010 qualification group matches for the AFC Challenge Cup, Cambodia went down narrowly to host country Bangladesh (0-1) and Myanmar (0-1) and beat Macau (2-1) but it wasn't enough to get through the group stage. The Maldives also didn't get through their group, held in Male, despite wins over Philippines (3-2) and Bhutan (5-0), as a 3-1 defeat against Turkmenistan was their undoing, on goal difference. The other country to play in the group qualifiers was Kyrgyzstan, who went through courtesy of more goals scored after two drawn matches against Nepal and Palestine. Once they were through to the competition proper, Kyrgyzstan started well with a 2-1 win over India before bowing out with defeats against North Korea (4-0) and Turmenistan (1-0). As for Tajikistan, they were automatic qualifiers for the finals last year, and despite a 2-1 loss to Bangladesh in the opening game, they roared back to beat Sri Lanka 3-1 and Myanmar 3-0 to reach the semi-final. They lost 2-0 to Turkmenistan but did claim 3rd place with a 1-0 win over Myanmar.

Shock exclusions

The 20-man squad that Cambodia will be taking to the Maldives for the final qualifying group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup has thrown up a couple of shock selections, not least the exclusion of two players who most observers would expect to be in the starting line-up for any of the country's international matches, let alone the three massively important games to be played in less than a week. Cambodia meet Maldives (21 Mar), Tajikistan (23 Mar) and Kyrgyzstan (25 Mar) in Group C of the competition in Male, and I think South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon has dropped a massive clanger in not including Phnom Penh Crown's San Narith whilst Sisaket's Khim Borey (pictured) is also missing, and the coach's selection also leaves out Army wideman Phuong Soksana and another Thai-based player, Srey Veasna. Narith has been a versatile midfielder-cum-defensive lynchpin for Cambodia for the last few seasons and is a major surprise to see him cast aside, whilst Borey has recently played his first game for his new Thai Premier Division club and is playing at the highest level of anyone in the Cambodian team. Of course, having just joined a new team puts pressure on Borey to stay and fight for his place in his club's starting line-up but the striker is one of those players who would do everything in his power to play for his country, so I'd like to hear Tae-Hoon's take on it. Soksana has proved to be a good impact player on occasions and Veasna too, had a great season for Phnom Penh Crown last term before his move to Thailand. Instead, Lee Tae-Hoon has picked inexperienced players at this level of competition such as Touch Panhcharong, Chhin Chhoeurn, Thong Udom, Suon Veasna, Sok Pheng and others, in what could be seen as the country's most important series of matches this year. In the local press the coach has been bemoaning his squad's lack of preparation because of the Hun Sen Cup competition which has just ended, and yet on the other hand he's dispensed with the services of San Narith, who is fresh and raring to go after Crown's quarter-final exit from the cup. The full squad is: Ouk Mic, Peng Bunchhay, Pheak Rady, Lay Raksmey, Tieng Tiny, Touch Panhcharong, Say Piseth, Thong Udom, Sok Rithy; Keo Sokngorn, Khuon Laboravy, Chhin Chhoeurn, Chan Rithy, Chhun Sothearath, Prak Mony Udom, Sun Sopanha, Suon Veasna; Kouch Sokumpheak, Sam El Nasa, Sok Pheng.

On top of the rankings

The Cambodian national team in Macau; [Back row, LtoR] Rithy, Sopanha, Mic, Laboravy, Piseth, Borey [front row] Tiny, Raksmey, Pancharong, Sothearath, Sokumpheak

Stop Press....The Cambodian national football team rock up to 154th place in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola world rankings, their highest-ever placing. Jumping twelve places, they reached a peak since the rankings were introduced in 1993, following their AFC Challenge Cup success over Macau. Not that it really means diddly-squat because it's what happens on the field that really matters, but as they approach the AFC Challenge Cup Group C games in the Madives from 21-25 March, they are now the 2nd best-ranked team in the group and as such are on course to qualify for the finals in early 2012, as one of the two qualifiers from each of the four groups. On paper at least. Here are their games in the AFC Challenge Cup later this month, with rankings and dates of the matches in brackets; Maldives (161st, 21 Mar), Tajikistan (148th, 23 Mar) and Kyrgyzstan (174th, 25 Mar).

Challenges ahead

Cambodia are through to the group stages of the AFC Challenge Cup. But only just. Macau gave them a real scare this week, pulling the tie back to 4-4 at full-time in the second leg and it was left to veteran marksman Sam El Nasa to carry Cambodia through with an extra-time goal. They lost the 2nd leg battle but won the war. I've heard some of the excuses for their poor showing - over-trained, poor pitch, cold temperatures - but Cambodia will have to step up to the plate if they are to put on a good showing in the group games. They'll join three other teams in Group C, which will be hosted by the Maldives in Male. The opposition will be in the form of hosts Maldives, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and the match dates will be 21, 23 and 25 March. Tajikistan will be a new face for Cambodia as they've played against the other two countries in the past. The other 3 qualifying groups of the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 have now been confirmed by Asian Football Confederation. Group A will be hosted by Myanmar in Yangon. The teams in this group are: Myanmar, Bangladesh, Palestine, and the winners of the pre-qualification match between Mongolia and the Philippines on 15 March (the Philippines won the first leg 2-0). The match days are 21, 23 and 25 March. Group B will be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the participating teams are 2008 champions India, Pakistan, Chinese Taipei and Turkmenistan. The match days are 21, 23 and 25 March. Group D will be played in Kathmandu, Nepal. The teams are: Nepal, 2010 champions DPR Korea, Sri Lanka, and the winners of the pre-qualification match between Bhutan and Afghanistan (23 and 25 March). The match days will be 7, 9 and 11 April.

Skin of their teeth

Sam El Nasa to Cambodia's rescue

Cambodia qualified for the group stage of the AFC Challenge Cup this evening, by the skin of their teeth. It doesn't come any closer than the 5-4 aggregate win they achieved when Sam El Nasa came off the bench after an hour and netted the deciding goal 17 minutes into extra time. South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon will have had kittens after watching Khim Borey head his team into the lead in time added on in the first half of normal time, only to see his side concede 3 second-half goals that wiped out their first leg advantage. From such a strong position, to concede like that beggars belief. Nevertheless, extra time arrived with the scores pegged at 4-4 and it was the veteran striker Sam El Nasa that rescued Cambodia's Challenge Cup hopes with the match-winning goal.
Lee Tae-Hoon caused a ripple of surprise when he chose Touch Pancharong and Chan Rithy ahead of the experienced heads of San Narith and Sam El Nasa to start the 2nd leg in Macau, in front of a paltry 100 spectators and a very cool evening. Khim Borey had been restored to the starting line-up in favour of Prak Mony Udom and rewarded his coach with the opening goal from close range in time added on after 47 minutes. As they did in Phnom Penh, Macau refused to lie down and came back strongly after the break. Vernon Wong netted just after the hour, before two goals in as many minutes threw the tie wide open again. Both goals were scored by substitutes, Ka Hang Leong on 73 minutes and Vinicio Alves two minutes later after an awful backpass. The teams were all square and neither side could break the deadlock before the Sri Lankan referee, Perera, who flashed 7 yellow cards in the game, blew for full-time. With all substitutions already made, it was left to the men on the pitch and it was the most experienced of campaigners, El Nasa, that came up trumps for Cambodia with his 107th minute headed winner from San Narith's cross. Coach Lee will have breathed the biggest sigh of relief possible, squeezing through on aggregate despite losing to Macau for the first time, 3-2.
Cambodia line-up: Mic, Raksmey (Narith 38), Pancharong, Tiny, Piseth, Sopanha (Sokngorn 72), Sothearath, C Rithy, Borey (El Nasa 61), Sokumpheak, Laboravy. Subs not used: Bunchhay, T Udom, Soun Veasna, PM Udom, Pheng, Soksana. Bookings: Tiny, Borey, Sokngorn, Narith.

20 strong for Macau trip

Cambodia's national team at the airport before their trip to Macau (pic FFC)

The Cambodian national football team flew to Macau via Hong Kong today, in preparation for their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying second leg match on Wednesday. Leading 3-1 from the first leg in Phnom Penh last week, Cambodia are red hot favourites to progress through to the group stage of the cup, which will be played at the end of next month. They showed they have too much in their locker for their opponents, from the special administrative area of China, even though Macau came back strongly in the latter stages of last Wednesday's match. Coach Lee Tae-Hoon has selected a playing squad of 20 to take on Macau, with Srey Veasna (of Loei City in Thailand) the only player who featured in last week's game, not making the trip. The squad is: Mic, Bunchhay, Raksmey, Narith, Tiny, Piseth, Pancharong, T Udom; Sothearath, Sopanha, PM Udom, Soksana, Soun Veasna, Sokngorn, C Rithy; El Nasa, Sokumpheak, Borey, Pheng, Laboravy.

Success for Cambodia will pitch them into Group C of the AFC Challenge Cup alongwith three other teams. Matches will be played between 21-30 March, though the host country has yet to be announced. A look at the FIFA/Coca-Cola world rankings shows that the top team in the group will be the Republic of Tajikistan, rated at 141 in the world. Half of their national team comes from the Tajik League champions Istiqlol Dushanbe, who strolled to the league title in December, completing their domestic season with 26 wins, six draws and no defeats. The same theme applied to the Indian Ocean-based Maldives champions VB Sports, who were undefeated in 21 games to win the Dhiraagu Dhivehi League crown and who will populate the Maldives national team, who are ranked at 160 in the FIFA table. They lie six places above Cambodia, who are at 166. The weakest of the Group C countries on paper will be Kyrgyzstan, at 175, for whom Neftchi Kochkorata are the league champions. Macau stand at 193 in the rankings.

Cambodia line-up before the 1st leg last week against Macau: (Back row LtoR): Piseth, Raksmey, El Nasa, Laboravy, Sopanha, Mic (Front row) PM Udom, Tiny, Sothearath, Narith, Sokumpheak

Proud moments

It's that proud moment when the players get to sing the national anthem whilst looking towards the national flag

Another batch of photos from yesterday's 3-1 international victory for Cambodia over the Chinese special administrative district of Macau, the former Portuguese colony that was handed over to China in 1999 but are still allowed to play as a separate international team from their Chinese rulers. Cambodia will play in Macau next Wednesday in the away leg of the AFC Challenge Cup, looking to maintain their path towards the group stages which take place later next month.

Skipper Ouk Mic leading out the Cambodian players in red for yesterday's match

The Cambodian bench standing for the national anthem with coaches, players and officials

The Macau team that were very pleased they scored a goal and conceded only 3 yesterday

The referee was from Myanmar but is hidden behind the two captains

'All for one and one for all' in the pre-match team huddle

An unhappy national coach Lee Tae-Hoon reading his team the half-time riot act. They decided to remain pitchside for their half-time deliberations.

The match is underway with the open areas of the ground devoid of spectators though the main stand enjoyed a healthy audience. Match admission was $1.

Cambodia do just enough

The Cambodia starting XI: (Back row LtoR): Piseth, Raksmey, El Nasa, Laboravy, Sopanha, Mic (Front row) PM Udom, Tiny, Sothearath, Narith, Sokumpheak

A win is a win and Cambodia go into next week's away leg in China with a 3-1 advantage after overpowering the minnows from Macau in the 2nd half of this afternoon's AFC Challenge Cup qualifying encounter. In front of an expectant home crowd, the Cambodians started nervously and couldn't get the all-important first goal to settle their butterflies. Macau sat back and allowed Cambodia to play, and found the home side bereft of ideas on how to break down their defensive game plan. Both of the main strikers missed great opportunities in the first half. Kouch Sokumpheak blazed over the bar when well-placed on 18 minutes and then didn't get the connection he wanted when he poked the ball past the Macau keeper after 38 minutes. Sam El Nasa, more guile than speed these days, was guilty of wasting a guilt-edged chance on two minutes when he bent down low and headed over the bar from close in, and then sent a free header wide of the upright when it looked easier to score, with a couple of minutes to the break. The chubby Macau stopper Chon Kit Leong pulled off a great save to deny Khuon Laboravy in the 13th minute, when the winger got a great connecting header to Sokumpheak's fizzed cross, only to see the keeper deny him with a superb one-handed save. More huffing and puffing from Cambodia, who found it hard to get the ball down on a bobbly pitch, but they had keeper-captain Ouk Mic to thank on 27 minutes when Chi Che found room at a corner to get in a shot, which Mic did well to smother. All square at the interval.

Within 14 minutes of the 2nd half, the complexion of the game had changed dramatically, with Cambodia ahead 3-nil and Macau finally succumbing to the relentless Cambodian pressure. It began within three minutes of the restart when Sam El Nasa jumped with defender Pak Lao and appeared to get the final touch to Sun Sopanha's dangerous corner for the 1st goal. The relief so quickly after the break was there for all to see. Five minutes later, El Nasa had netted a 2nd goal and Cambodia were cruising. Chhun Sothearath and Kouch Sokumpheak combined to send the latter racing to the bye-line and his perfect cross onto the head of El Nasa was easy pickings for the veteran. A minute before the hour mark, Khuon Laboravy made up for a poor missed chance moments before, by racing onto a defence-splitting Sun Sopanha pass and firing past the keeper from 12 yards out. Cambodia had the cushion they'd been seeking all game and the frustration was effectively over. A rash of substitutes did nothing for the game as a spectacle but Macau posted notice when sub Ka Hang Leong weaved his way past three ineffectual tackles and stung Mic's fingers, before the same player got a steal on his marker to a Wai Tong Ho free-kick and headed the ball firmly past Ouk Mic and inside the post, eleven minutes from time. It was a poor goal to concede and one which the South Korean coach won't be happy with. In time added on, and with fresh legs in the line up, Sokngorn gave Sokumpheak room to drill the ball against the cross-bar from 15 yards out, which brought the game to a close and a 3-1 victory for Cambodia to take to the second leg, and favourites to progress to the group stage of the Challenge Cup competition. It was an easy win for the home country, who'll be cheesed that they didn't inflict a heavier defeat on the visitors, especially as Macau didn't really kick-off their interest in the game until they were 3-nil down and their only bright spark was Ka Hang Leong's direct play in the final twenty minute.
Cambodia's line-up: Mic, Raksmey, Narith, Tiny, Piseth, Sothearath, Sopanha, Laboravy (C Rithy 69), PM Udom (Sokngorn 61), El Nasa (Srey Veasna 77), Sokumpheak. Subs not used: Bunchhay, Pancharong, T Udom, Pheng. Bookings: Raksmey (52, trip).

Two headed goals from veteran striker Sam El Nasa earned Cambodia their 3-1 success

A sigh of relief

Can someone tell the coach Lee Tae-Hoon that Cambodia won the game? He's pictured looking pretty glum at the post-match press conference.

Coach Lee Tae-Hoon can breathe again after watching his charges, the Cambodian national football team, win 3-1 against an inferior Macau this afternoon, but to be honest they didn't impress and if Macau hadn't virtually rolled over and let Cambodia get way out in front before finally finding some bottle in the last fifteen minutes, it could've been a mite embarrassing. As for the coach, his after-match press conference was as confusing as his team selection. "I will make 4 or 5 changes for the next game against Macau. I was testing the players today and will make changes. I didn't play the Thai players from the start as they were only here for 2 days. Borey didn't play as he hasn't been available. But I was pleased with the Nasa and Sokumpheak combination up front, they played well together." As for Khim Borey, who recently moved from Phnom Penh Crown to Thai Premier team Sisaket Muangthai, he sat in the stands looking bewildered as to why he hadn't even been handed a place on the substitute's bench. He played in the friendly games against local opposition in the run-up to his transfer which meant he had to spend a few days in Thailand, but told the coach he was coming back, only to find himself out in the cold. The coach also raised eyebrows when he began the game with Prak Mony Udom on the right flank in preference to either Borey or Keo Sokngorn, and frankly the selection didn't work. I think he'll go for experience in the 2nd leg next Wednesday and that will mean drafting in players of the calibre of Borey, Sokngorn and Chan Rithy in the tie. More on the match itself very soon.

Under pressure

Tomorrow afternoon is the first test for Cambodia's national team coach Lee Tae-Hoon (pictured) after the disappointing series of results that saw Cambodia fail to progress to the group stages of the AFF Suzuki Cup last October. Since then, the South Korean coach has had a look at every player with a shout of joining the national squad during a series of friendlies and a disappointing 4-1 loss to touring Ulsan University. He's finally settled on a 23-man squad though this has been bolstered by the addition of 4 players plying their trade in Thailand this season at virtually the last minute. Cambodia meet Macau at 3pm tomorrow and again a week later, in Macau. The importance of these two fixtures for Cambodia's national team this year and beyond cannot be overstated. They are must win matches. Added to that there are World Cup qualifying matches coming up in the middle of the year, which will determine the future picture of the country's international football programme. With that in mind, the coach has been bemoaning the lack of firepower amongst his strikers to the local Khmer press in the last few days that won't exactly fill his forwards with confidence. Nevertheless, we are playing Macau, regarded as one of the region's whipping boys, as much as most other countries regard Cambodia, so it's effectively a game of the also-rans, though I would be shocked if Macau get anything other than a pounding at the Olympic stadium tomorrow. It might be a little different in Macau next Wednesday in the 2nd leg, but I think Cambodia will have built up a sizeable lead by then and should progress to the group stage. In terms of ranking, Cambodia stand at 165th in the FIFA world list, whilst Macau lie in 193rd place. Cambodia beat Macau 2-1 in their last meeting in April 2009. If they are ahead after the return leg next Wednesday (16 Feb), Cambodia will enter the AFC Challenge Cup group stage alongside Tajikistan, Maldives and Kyrgyzstan in Group C, to be played in March 2011. If not, well we'll cross that chasm if it happens.

The 4 players who've joined the squad and interrupted their pre-season training with their Thai teams are Khim Borey, Keo Sokngorn, Chan Rithy and Srey Veasna. I would expect the first two players to start the game with the other two watching from the bench. The full squad is as follows:

Ouk Mic (Preah Khan Reach), Peng Bunchhay (Phnom Penh Crown):
Pheak Rady (National Defence), Lay Raksmey (Preah Khan Reach), Tieng Tiny (Phnom Penh Crown), Touch Pancharong (Police Commissary), San Narith (Phnom Penh Crown), Soy Piseth (Police Commissary), Thong Udom (National Defence);

Keo Sokngorn (Samuth Sakhon), Srey Veasna (Loei), Chhin Chhoeurn (National Defence), Chan Rithy (Surin), Chhun Sothearath (BBU), Phuong Soksana (National Defence), Prak Mony Udom (Preah Khan Reach), Sun Sopanha (Phnom Penh Crown), Suon Veasna (Preah Khan Reach);

Khim Borey (Sisaket), Kouch Sokumpheak (Phnom Penh Crown), Sam El Nasa (Preah Khan Reach), Sok Pheng (Phnom Penh Crown), Khuon Laboravy (Preah Khan Reach).

One coach who won't be involved in the bout of AFC Challenge Cup games this week is Simon McMenemy, the man credited with the Philippines' historic semi-final finish in the AFF Suzuki Cup that made the national team an overnight sensation, but who was replaced a month ago when they realised that he needed a UEFA coaching license to be able to take part in the AFC qualifiers. His contract wasn't renewed though he found out about it first via an online networking site. His replacement is German Michael Weiss, formerly in charge of Rwanda.

3pm on the 9th - be there

Coach Lee Tae-Hoon (white shirt) giving instructions to his squad before a recent friendly game

The Cambodian national team are currently preparing for the first leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualification tie against Macau, to be played at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh on Wednesday 9 February, with a 3pm kick-off time. The squad are undergoing strict training preparation under South Korean coach Lee Tae-Hoon at the national training center at Cheng Meng, though the last sixteen round matches of the Hun Sen Cup have caused some disruption to the coach's rigid schedule. With less than two weeks before this vital must-win qualifier, the coach is still leaving the door open for anyone that stands out in the Hun Sen Cup matches, the last of which are played this weekend. He was also keen to involve three players who are now parading their football talents in Thailand, though it looks like that may be thwarted as the Thai domestic season is due to begin a couple of days after the first leg match against Macau. The second leg will be played at Macau's Campo Desportivo stadium on 16 February. The last meeting between the two countries was in Bangladesh when Cambodia beat Macau 2-1 with goals from Teab Vathanak and Keo Sokngorn in an April 2009 qualifier. Lee Tae-Hoon has taken the chunk of his 24-man training squad from two clubs, with Phnom Penh Crown and Preah Khan Reach both supplying seven players. The only Naga Corp player is Sun Sovanratha, the brother of former U23 skipper Sun Sovanrithy, who is conspicuous by his absence. The squad will be reduced to 18 in the week before the first leg. Cambodia, ranked at 165th in the FIFA world rankings (a place below Equatorial Guinea and one above Vanuatu), will be expected to beat Macau, who lie in 193rd place, in both legs.