Opening defeat

Cambodia v Laos, back row, LtoR: Sovan, Laboravy, Vathanaka, Samoeun, Piseth, Yaty. Front: Pheng, Suhana, Visal, Srin, Sokumpheak (capt) - photo by Masayori Ishikawa/Khmer Goal - click to enlarge

Result: Laos 3 Cambodia 2 (AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying).
Cambodia's Suzuki Cup adventures began with a 3-2 defeat against the hosts Laos in Vientiane, but it was a close-run game in which the visitors showed their battling qualities to drag themselves level after going two goals behind in the second-half. Five Phnom Penh Crown players started the game. The first-half was a close affair which Cambodia just shaded according to the tv pundits but neither team could break their duck and it was goal-less at the break. Both Kouch Sokumpheak and Sos Suhana went close early on, in the opening half. The home team came out at the start of the second half with real purpose, no doubt inspired by coach David Booth's half-time blast, and opened the scoring on 54 minutes when two Cambodian defenders failed to deal with a long ball and Sihavong scored with a well-placed drive. Sou Yaty in the Cambodian goal was in the thick of it, with three good saves but didn't reach a ball delivered into the corridor of uncertainty between the last defender and the keeper, and Khampheng got the merest of touches to claim Laos' second on 70 minutes. To their credit Cambodia responded just three minutes later with a cracking goal from Khuon Laboravy as he bamboozled the Laos defenders and let fly with his trusty left foot. Cambodia's tails were up and just two minutes later, substitute Sok Chanrasmey got his knee to a Laboravy center and eased the ball over the line, despite Laos claims for offside. Game on and a great recovery from the visitors, albeit relying on a long ball strategy for their offensive moves. However, their hopes were dashed just six minutes later when Khampheng took a leaf out of Wayne Rooney's book the night before, and curled a free-kick over the wall and past Yaty's despairing dive, for what turned out to be the game's clincher. Yaty had to make two more saves whilst Laboravy took a tumble in the box but the referee was having none of it. To be honest, he went down too easily. And that was that. Laos just about deserved it on the balance of play, but Cambodia showed they weren't there just to make up the numbers.

After the game, Lee Tae-Hoon, the Korean coach of Cambodia, had this to say. “We missed our chances in the first half and let our guard down early in the second, allowing those two goals which put a lot of pressure on us. It is always very hard when it comes to playing the opening game against the hosts. We have to do better in our next match. There are a lot of things we need to get right.” David Booth, the successful coach of Phnom Penh Crown in 2011, who took over the Laos team just a few weeks ago, said: "We didn’t play well in the first half and we kept giving the ball away but in the second half we were a lot stronger. Maybe the players thought we had done enough when we went two goals up and they lost their concentration and let in two quick goals. They could have easily given a third away at that point but we got the lead back and held on for the win, which was very important for our first game.” Cambodia face Timor-Leste in their next game on Thursday, who will be cock-a-hoop after their 4-2 win over Brunei in the opening game. Murilo de Almeida grabbed a hat-trick to make his mark in the tournament. Timor have six players playing abroad - two are playing in Kuwait, three in Brazil and one in Thailand - with the remainder from the local amateur league. Cambodia will have their work cut out to kickstart their Suzuki Cup hopes into life.
Cambodia NT: Yaty, Pheng, Visal, Piseth, Sovan, Samoeun, Srin (Sothearath), Sokumpheak, Suhana (Chanrasmey), Laboravy, Vathanaka. Subs: Sophea, Udom, Chhoeun, Daravorn, Soksana, Virak, Sovannrithy. Bookings: Sokumpheak, Srin. Goals: Laboravy (73), Chanrasmey (75).

Ex-PPCFC coach David Booth, now with Laos, emerged victorious

Cambodia's Lee Tae-Hoon, ponders his next move at the press conference

Laos look to Booth

Former PPCFC coach David Booth, now in charge of Laos again

Former Phnom Penh Crown head coach David Booth has been handed the task, for a second time, to coach the Laos national team, for the remainder of this year. Laos will be the hosts of the AFF Suzuki Cup Qualifying competition in October and will be looking to Booth's vast experience in these situations, to steer them into the final stages. He did just that for Laos back in 2010. His first game will be against Cambodia on 12 October and promises to be an intriguing contest, as he will come face to face with a few of his former Crown players. Booth was the coach of Lao Toyota for most of the season just completed, where they finished second. He will be in charge of the club side next season too. Let's not forget it was the British-born coach who won the Cambodian Championship with Crown in 2011 and came so close to winning the AFC President's Cup, losing the final in Taiwan. He was previously in charge of the national teams of Brunei, Myanmar and Laos, before spells at Sisaket, Crown, Salgaocar and Lao Toyota.

In the news today

The Football Federation have invited 29 players to attend Cambodian national team training beginning on Monday, ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup qualifying competition to be held in October, which is seven months away. Seven Phnom Penh Crown players have been named in the provisional list and they are: Sou Yaty, Hong Pheng, Kok Boris, Bin Thierry, Sos Suhana, Kouch Sokumpheak and Khim Borey. The rest of the training squad call-up are: (Boeung Ket) Pancharong, Vathanaka, Sokngon, Samoeun, Sovan, Laboravy; (Naga) Rithy, Thavrak, Sovannrithy; (TriAsia) Chanrasmey, Simay, Sinoun, Virak, Dani; (Army) Vichet, Chhoeun, Soksana, Khemrin; (Svay Rieng) P M Udom, Sophea; (Nat Police) Piseth, Ol Ravy.

Breaking news of former Phnom Penh Crown head coach David Booth who has just taken charge of Lao Toyota FC of Vientiane in the Laos Premier League. He was the head coach of former Indian League champions Salgaocar last season before leaving and seeking a new appointment. That came earlier this week and it's a return to a country where David was the national team coach in 2010.

The 2014 Hun Sen Cup was won by National Police with a 2-0 win over BBU in the final at Olympic Stadium this evening. Goals by Noun Borey and Ol Ravy clinched it, and Police also picked up the top keeper (Prak Phearun) and most valuable player (Tith Dina) awards too. Boeung Ket's Khuon Labvoravy won top scorer award with 14 goals.

Booth to move

David Booth will be leaving Salgaocar soon

Former Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth has turned the corner at Indian Premier League club Salgaocar after his new club suffered a shocking start to the season. The arrival of some new faces in the transfer window made the difference and they are now out of the relegation mire, and undefeated in their last four outings. However, Booth is not a happy bunny and after watching his players beat United Sikkim 9-0 he told the press he was on his way out. In his typical blunt style, he said; "I don't know (if Salgaocar will be one of the front-runners next season). I won't be here. They told me that they can't keep me. I've got some interested teams, but nothing concrete at the moment. I'll be going on a holiday. I won't be here after that, so good luck to them. I have worked all over the world so I'm prepared to go anywhere. I've got a lot of contacts." David, 64, is no stranger to Indian football having coached both Mahindra United (twice) and Mumbai, as well as being voted India's coach of the year in 2009. David joined the Goa-based club in November after leaving Crown, where he guided the club to the C-League title and the final of the AFC President's Cup.

Not a bed of roses

David Booth at a recent press conference in India

It's not been a bed of roses for former Phnom Penh Crown head coach David Booth since he took over the helm at Salgaocar FC in the Indian Premier League. His team remain without a win since his arrival and with six points from eight matches, they currently reside in the bottom five places, though a run of home games this month will give them something to look forward to. Scoring goals has been a problem for his team especially with Philippines striker Angel Guirado absent due to his involvement with his country's successful AFF Suzuki Cup campaign. Amongst Booth's squad is an Australian striker with a name to be reckoned with. Sean Rooney was with Newcastle Jets before joining Salgaocar in August from Indonesian Super League club Deltras. Forthright as ever, one of David's comments after a recent defeat was; "I do not have a magic wand. Even if a new coach comes in, there should not be huge problems in adapting," he explained. The vastly experienced Englishman was one of the first foreign coaches to be successful in Indian football when he won the Federation Cup with Mahindra United in 2003. He also won the President of Maldives Invitational Soccer Cup with them that year and then in his second job in India, he got newly-formed Mumbai promoted to the I-League in 2008. In his second spell with Mahindra, he took them to a fourth-place finish in the I-League and was voted Coach of the Year before the club were disbanded. In his first season in Cambodia with Crown, he guided them to the C-League title and the final of the AFC President's Cup.

A Brit in India

David Booth is off to India, again

Keeping you in the loop with David Booth, the recently departed Phnom Penh Crown head coach, who has wasted no time in being appointed as coach of Indian League team Salgaocar FC and will move into the hot seat in the 1st week of November. David is no stranger to Indian football having coached both Mahindra United (twice) and Mumbai, as well as being voted India's coach of the year in 2009. His new team Salgaocar won the I-League title in 2011 so they too are no strangers to success, like their new head coach. David had a number of options once it was known he was leaving Crown and I know that he has a penchant for India, having had lots of success there before. Throughout his time at Crown, behind the scenes, he was trying to resolve a contractual dispute with his previous club, Sisaket, with the case going all the way to FIFA, who were fully behind David. A few weeks ago the financial aspects of the case were finally resolved, in David's favour. It was a long-running headache where Sisaket dragged their feet, that the Crown coach couldn't done without. Anyway, he's currently enjoying some holiday-time with his family in Thailand, before he will head out to India soon enough. The I-League season is already underway, with Salgaocar, who are based in the West Indian state of Goa, holding a point from their two games played. Personally, I hope David has a great time back in India, he has a lot of respect and good things to say about Indian football, as I have great respect too for the no-nonsense Yorkshireman from Barnsley.

The last hurrah

David Booth takes his Crown players for one final warm-up session

Last night's 6-0 beating by home team favourites Istiklol was David Booth's last game in charge of the Phnom Penh Crown team, as he announced a few days ago. He wanted to go out on a high, but it didn't quite pan out that way. Up til half-time, though the Tajik team had the majority of the play, Crown were in the game and beginning to frustrate their opponents. Two minutes after the restart that was all forgotten, as Istiklol took the game by the scruff of the neck and whacked in another five goals without reply. The sag in the shoulders of players and staff said it all. Soundly beaten by a better team, for the second time in three days. David Booth admitted his team were simply not good enough and it was the end of this particular road for the English coach.

His final press conference as Crown's head coach was not a happy one

Reviewing his troops ahead of the Istiklol match

Final instructions in the warm-up room outside the team's dressing room

Out of our depth

PPCFC line-up: Back LtoR: Dara, Vanthan, Rady, Frimpong, S Pheng, Tiny. Front: Sovanna, Suhana, Ary, Lika, Borey - click to enlarge

The curtain came crashing down tonight on Phnom Penh Crown's involvement in this year's AFC President's Cup with a second heavy defeat in three days, as they succumbed 6-0 to home favourites FC Istiklol, in front of a noisy crowd of 9,999. Behind to a single goal at the interval, the floodgates opened in the second half, as they had against Dordoi in the previous game, leaving Crown head coach David Booth a dejected figure at the post-match press conference. "I look at the two games, at how my team have played and its obvious we're out of our depth here this year. There's been a lot of changes in the club and perhaps it would've been better if we'd stayed at home. We made changes for today, our goalkeeper couldn't play, one or two positional changes but we've got young players, with absolutely no experience whatsoever, but its all we have. It's just embarrassing, I've never been in this situation before. To come here and be beaten like that twice - we're not good enough to be here. We had a couple of chances in the game but nothing that would hurt them. I'm quite embarrassed really with the two performances. My team were way below par, way below the standard that's required for this competition and the two teams that played against us didn't have to play at their best. Going on history, the home team usually wins this competition - I don't know who will win and I'm not really bothered now."

Forced to include Yok Ary in goal for the injured Samrith Seiha, David Booth also brought in Soeng Vanthan and Chhun Sovanna into midfield and Sok Pheng to partner Khim Borey in attack. Apart from a fine piece of handling from Ary to deny Makhmadali Sadykov, Crown were giving as good as they got until Istiklol captain Dilshod Vasiev escaped his marker on 26 minutes to rifle the ball into the top corner to send the big crowd into raptures. The home team required a point from the match to qualify for the final but were determined to put on a good show. However, they were so nearly caught out less than a minute later when Khim Borey and Sos Suhana exchanged passes which released Suhana into the box only to see goalkeeper Alisher Tuychiev block his shot, and with it Crown's best chance of the half. Ary was called upon to snuff out attempts by Davronjon Ergashev from all of forty yards, and Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev from much closer, whilst Ibragim Rabimov and Umedzhon Sharipov were a whisker away with their target practice just before half-time.

With 47 seconds on the clock of the second period, Ary had to be quick off his line to keep out Farkhod Tokhirov's shot with his feet but within two minutes of the restart, the half-time substitute had doubled Istiklol's lead. Ergashev's long-range shot took a deflection off Tokhirov's head and wrong-footed Ary, with the striker looking at least a couple of yards offside, but the match officials waved aside Crown's appeals and the home team fans rejoiced. Sok Pheng twice found space on the edge of the home penalty area, only for Tuychiev to collect his first shot easily enough and a defender charged down the second. In between, Sharipov took the ball off Hong Pheng's toe, bore down on goal and his swerving shot evaded Ary's dive for their third goal on 52 minutes. Six minutes later, Vi Lika failed to cut out a cross and Rabimov's aim was true from the edge of the box to extend his team's lead even further. Two minutes later and Khim Borey tried his luck from thirty yards, only to see his drive dip just over the crossbar. Most of the attacking intent was coming from Istiklol, though a great chance fell to Borey, when Emmanuel Frimpong's corner was headed down by Pheak Rady, only for goalkeeper Tuychiev to block Borey's shot with his body.

Istiklol continued to press forward, encouraged by their supporters and on 75 minutes they netted again. A jinking run by Alexander Frank allowed Fatkhuloev the time to pick his spot from twelve yards out and he made no mistake. Tieng Tiny's last-ditch tackle prevented Rabimov from adding to the tally but he wasn't to be denied and eight seconds into time added on, the Istiklol number 7 fired in from the edge of the box after more good work from Frank. Istiklol's tally of six goals without reply was food and drink to the home fans, whilst the Crown players trudged wearily from the pitch, having conceded 14 goals in their two cup matches. There were bookings for Vanthan, Frimpong and Tiny, with Frimpong selected by the host broadcaster for the post-match interview.
PPCFC line-up: Ary, Dara, Rady, Lika, Tiny, Suhana (Chaya 25), Frimpong, Vanthan, Sovanna (H Pheng 45), S Pheng (Sothy 67), Borey. Subs not used: Seiha, Sovan, Makara. Bookings: Vanthan, Frimpong, Tiny.

Theatre of truth

Crown coach David Booth (left) will be in the Central Stadium sunken dug-out for the last time tonight

Phnom Penh Crown face the host nation's favourite sons, FC Istiklol, tonight under floodlights at the Central Stadium, and with a big point to prove. An 8-goal thrashing against Dordoi two nights ago will have given the Crown players nightmares, and if it didn't, it should've. The performance of the team was below an acceptable standard at this level of competition. The clubs in the AFC President's Cup are champions of their respective countries for a reason, they are the cream of the emerging nations and if Cambodia wants to stand toe to toe with them, its players need to step up to the plate. Professionalism is not just a long word, it's a state of mind and attitude to the task in hand. If you don't adopt a professional mindset then you will fail, because every one of the other teams in this competition are treating it as if their lives depend on it. Dordoi came at Crown from the first whistle and we wilted, especially as the game wore on. Tonight, we will face a similar barrage from Istiklol, who will be roared on by a large partisan crowd. They need a point but they will be going for the jugular right from the off. The Crown players know it and they must deal with it. Coach David Booth has made changes to his line-up for what he has said, will be his final game in charge of the team. He will not want to bow out without a performance that is passionate, hard-working and honest. The players owe him that.

All of the AFC President's Cup matches are being played at the Dushanbe Central Stadium, the theatre of dreams for Tajik football since it was built in 1956 during the Soviet-era. While league matches are routinely held in other stadiums – Aviator, Polytechnic and Spartak – the big matches are reserved for the 20,000-seater Central Stadium. Such is the landmark’s aura that even during devastating civil war from 1992 until 1997 the stadium was used for football matches, providing moments of major respite to the sports-loving populace. Some of Tajikistan’s unforgettable football victories have taken place at the Central. Fans fondly remember the 4-0 defeat of neighbours Uzbekistan in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier in 1996. It was here the popular Central Asian Games, filled with pomp and pageantry, were held in 2003. And the Tajiks will not forget the goalless draw against Bahrain in FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying action in 2004. The Central has undergone major renovation in recent years and continues to be the main address of Tajik sports.

The main stand and VIP area of the Central Stadium

The seats opposite the main stand at the Central Stadium

The electronic scoreboard at Central Stadium

Some of the Crown players in the renovated dressing rooms at Central Stadium

Getting closer

PPCFC goalkeepers Yok Ary and Samrith Seiha go through their stretches

Much of Sunday morning was spent catching up with some sleep after the previous day was spent travelling to get to Dushanbe from Phnom Penh. The AFC scheduled their tournament press conference for 11am, which Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth, and captain Tieng Tiny, joined, alongwith the other five participating teams. When questioned by the press, David Booth commented: "Last year we were underdogs. To get to the final was outstanding. To come to this competition is both an adventure and an experience, as Cambodian teams never travel well. Now we meet 2 of the favourite teams, they have different styles to us, so it's a big learning curve for our players. Other teams are stronger and taller than us, so we have to work on the mental aspects and believe that 'biggest is not always best.' Physically and mentally we are prepared; last year we exceeded expectations, so maybe another team can do the same this time around." In answering a question about the strengths of Central Asian teams, he continued: "I don't know if non-Central Asian teams like ourselves are strong enough. When we play the likes of Dordoi, its a challenge for us, as we are desperately trying to catch up. These games are more important for us; as we learn more each time we play in this competition. Its good for Cambodian football and its players, as it shows where we have to get to. Last year we came very close to winning, but 1 or 2 players lost their heads. We've moved on and replaced a number of those players. We did so well last year, so maybe the gap is getting closer."
After lunch back at the Serena Hotel, the squad relaxed whilst myself and the club's team manager returned to the Hyatt Hotel, the location of the earlier gathering, for the team manager's meeting, to confirm the rules and regulations of the competition. We ran through the playing kit choices for the upcoming matches, collected our accreditation cards and returned back, only to find the bus to take the players for their afternoon training session was nowhere to be seen. Ninety minutes later, another team's bus appeared so we commandeered that to take us for a session to get the jetlag out of our bones, though the failure by the local organising committee smacked of the fun and games we had in Taiwan last year. The players stretched and ran off the previous day's travelling at a local club's training pitch and then rode back through every red light under police escort, in time for dinner and an early night for all.

Coach David Booth looks to the heavens during a team meeting before training

Concentrating on the coach's instructions: Pheak Rady, Chan Dara, Hong Pheng

The captains and coaches at the 2nd of today's press conferences. LtoR, Istiklol, Dordoi and PPCFC's Tieng Tiny and David Booth

David Booth looks skywards whilst Tieng Tiny waits for the next question

Fully deserved

Final instructions to his team by coach David Booth (in hat)

Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth was fairly upbeat after watching his side dominate for long periods during their 3-1 Metfone C-League success against the Army yesterday at Olympic Stadium. "We had a lot of problems this week with injuries and suspensions, so all credit to the boys. I thought we worked hard, we had quite a young team especially when we finished the game, and you tend to hope that the youngsters will put that little bit of bite and spirit into the game. We had maybe seven players who've not played regularly, so we did okay. It was hard work today as we gave away a really sloppy goal, and if we didn't give that away, we would've gone onto win the game quite comfortably. At 2-1 it kept the game tight and a little bit anxious. I thought we played some decent football around their box at times, we were on top and I think we fully deserved the win today. I was pleased for Hong Pheng. He's played a couple of games and didn't score, so it was nice for him to get a couple of goals today."
In the second C-League game played yesterday afternoon, BBU showed their fighting spirit to hold Super 4 qualifiers Preah Khan Reach to a goalless draw, though it could've been different if Pech Sina for the students had remembered his shooting boots, whilst PKR's expensive import from Vietnam, Bologun Olawale is having a torrid time in front of goal and was unable to find the net with half a dozen attempts. There are two matches this coming Wednesday, with NagaCorp facing BBU, who were without their talisman skipper Dan Ito for yesterday's encounter, and Boeung Ket meet Kirivong.

Khim Borey (7) and his team in the tunnel before the game

Khim Borey with the captain's armband

Getting ready for the handshakes

The pre-match huddle on the sidelines

The Army line-up before the start

We looked dangerous

Crown coach David Booth issues his final instructions

David Booth, the head coach of Phnom Penh Crown had mixed feelings after his team defeated BBU 3-0 at Olympic Stadium on Saturday afternoon. "They had a fair bit of possession but we don't mind them having the ball in their half, as long as we are in command when the ball gets played into the final third. To be fair I don't recall they had any clear cut chances at all. In the 1st half they had one free-kick and that was it. The biggest problem for me is the officials. They don't know the rules, they don't do the right thing at the right time, they don't make the right decisions and I simply can't believe they didn't give us a penalty. In England, the referee and linesman would be demoted next week. They were absolutely awful.
I felt we were comfortable in the 1st half, and positive but without really playing that well. We hit them well on the break today. As the game went on we had more chances, every time we broke we looked dangerous but we need to be a little more clinical, show a bit more quality, and release the ball at the right time, as we tended to run with it a bit too much in the 2nd half. Basically we are trying to do two things at the same time. We are trying to get the team organized for the President's Cup and if we can make it into the top 4, all well and good. We need to get the team into good habits, good discipline, and defensively well-organized because at the moment we give the other teams too much of the ball.
We don't have a big enough squad to afford to lose players like we have done, we've lost a lot of players to injury and to suspensions, so looking at it objectively, we've done well to be where we are at the moment. Yellow cards are being handed out like confetti - I think the referees just don't know what's going on."

Kingsley Njoku looking ahead to the game

Tieng Tiny (4) leads his Crown teammates to another success

The Crown substitutes before the kick-off

BBU line-up for a team photo before the match

A win is a win

Crown coach David Booth looks ahead to the game

Phnom Penh Crown head coach David Booth wasn't exactly blown away by his team's 5-1 demolition of Chhlam Samuth this afternoon. But then again, when is any coach really happy unless his team has just won the league championship or cup final. For Crown, they remain a point behind their biggest rivals for a spot in the Super 4 play-offs, but have played two games more than Boeung Ket. With just four games left to play, Crown have to win all of them and rely on Boeung Ket losing matches in their run-in, which looking at it on paper, is unlikely. Immediately after Crown's success this afternoon, this is what David Booth had to say: "For the first thirty minutes I thought we struggled to play the way I wanted us to play. I wonder if we put too much pressure on them to play a certain way at times. I thought the referee was absolutely abysmal today, absolutely awful. He booked three of our players for nothing. We knew the goals would come if we persevered - as the half went on we put pressure on at the right time, got in behind them and got two tap-ins. We had to change it in the second half. After fifteen minutes we hadn't had a shot on goal. We needed to push on more than we did. It was okay, overall it was a better performance but nothing to go crazy about. A win is a win and five goals is always welcome."

Tieng Tiny leads out PPCFC in red v Chhlam Samuth

Khim Borey (7) behind Kingsley Njoku (20) - Crown's goalscorers this afternoon

Referee Chuop Visal speaks to Tieng Tiny at the toss-up

Frustration all round

PPCFC v NPolice. Back LtoR: Tiny, Njoku, S Pheng, Obadin, Dara, Ary. Front: Chaya, Sovanna, Rady, Suhana, Sokumpheak. Click to enlarge.

Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth pretty much said it all in his after-match comments following his team's 1-1 draw with the league leaders National Police yesterday. "I thought we played well, created a lot of chances and I thought we could've won 7-1. I don't think 7-1 would've flattered us. We had so many chances, one on ones, about five of them and I can't see why we can't score. We absolutely murdered them but we've only drawn. And they were not half-chances either, they were good chances. I've got to be happy that we created a lot of chances, we certainly played a lot better than the last game but the result wasn't what we needed. We just played supposedly the best team in Cambodia and we actually slaughtered them without winning, so a lot of frustration at the moment."

Crown, looking to kickstart their season in their first game of the second round, did everything but win the game. They made a mockery out of the National Police's position at the head of the Metfone C-League table and took the game to their opponents from the kick-off. It was all Crown in the early stages with Chan Chaya and Sok Pheng prominent but both had left their shooting boots at home and failed to seriously test Thong Chanreaksmey in the Police goal. In fact it was the Police who could've gone in front on eight minutes. Nuth Sinoun sped through the middle, managed to lob the ball over the advancing Yok Ary but found Odion Obadin blocking the way with his attempt on goal. Thirty seconds later and Chanreaksmey was the man of the moment as he stood firm with Kingsley Njoku bearing down on him. Kouch Sokumpheak had sent Njoku flying clear from the half-way line and he looked odds on to score until the Police keeper kept his nerve to deny him. Yok Ary covered his angles correctly to keep out a Nelson Oladiji effort but it was Crown who were calling the shots without making their superiority pay. On fifteen minutes, Njoku was again guilty of missing a glorious chance after a slip by Sob Ravy let him in, only for the Nigerian striker to drag his shot agonizingly wide of the target. At the other end, Obadin denied Oladiji the chance to shoot with a timely tackle and Noun Borey lobbed a speculative cross-cum-shot onto the roof of top of the crossbar. Sok Pheng was blocked with an attempt on goal and then Chanreaksmey was again in the right place to deny a thunderbolt from Sos Suhana from close range with Suhana firing the rebound into the side-netting. The first-half ended as it had begun, with Crown on the offensive. A Njoku back-heel laid the ball on a plate for Suhana but he lent backwards and smacked his ten-yard effort sailing over the crossbar. In time added on Njoku took a pass from Sokumpheak and shaped to give Crown the lead they deserved, only to drag his powerful shot a foot wide. Crown had drawn a blank.

Police pushed on after the break and Oladiji got the better of Obadin, only to send his shot high and wide, while Ly Arafin raced into the box but screwed his shot wide as Ary came out to challenge. On 53 minutes, a piece of Sokumpheak trickery won Crown a penalty. Muhammed Aberejo was conned into a trip on the edge of the area and Obadin stepped up to plant the spot-kick cleanly and give Crown the lead. Crown continued to dominate and coach David Booth was about to make a double-change, when Police snatched an unlikely equaliser on 75 minutes. Sim Vutha won a tackle with Tieng Tiny and slipped in Tith Dina who managed to get enough leverage on his shot to beat the advancing Yok Ary, and for the ball to cross the line despite Pheak Rady's attempt to clear. Crown made their change and the two new faces, Henry Asonibe and Hong Pheng combined to give Suhana a strike on goal, but he blasted over from just inside the area. With five minutes to go and Crown pressing, Sokumpheak was neatly fed by Njoku but his left-foot swinger sailed over the bar from eight yards out and their best chance went begging. Tiny header over from a corner and Suhana nodded another cross inches over the top as Crown threw everything forward for the winning goal that never came. The game ended 1-1 with Police relieved with a point and Crown frustrated by their own wayward finishing on the day.
Crown line-up v Police: Ary, Dara, Rady, Tiny, Obadin, Sokumpheak, Sovanna, Suhana, Chaya (Asonibe 76), S Pheng (H Pheng 76), Njoku. Subs not used: Chamrouen, Vanthan, Sovan, Lika, Seyha, Sophanal, Kimhor, Sothy, Makara. Bookings: S Pheng, Sokumpheak.

Students downed in the rain

The starting line-up for PPCFC v BBU. Back Row LToR: Tarley, Vanthan, Makara, Chamrouen, Obadin, Lika. Front: Asonibe, Chaya, Sothy, Sovanna, Srin. Click to enlarge.

The Metfone C-League is on its mid-season break. So Phnom Penh Crown have arranged a couple of friendly matches to keep their squad in shape. The first of those took place this afternoon at the RSN Stadium, initially in bright sunshine but soon in a downpour of rain that eased off as the match ended. Build Bright United were the opposition and Crown coach David Booth used the opportunity to give a run-out to some of the lesser-used players in his squad. One player who didn't manage a start was midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong who has suffered a setback to his recovery with a muscle strain and will sit out the next week. The game started slowly and sparked into life after 20 minutes when Henry Asonibe headed an Ouk Sothy corner wide at the far post. The same player then tested the agility of BBU keeper Hem Simay with a 25-yard drive that the stopper tipped around the post. Sam Chamrouen, in the Crown goal, was called upon to spread himself to deny BBU before late in the half, two efforts from Melvin Tarley should've given the home team the lead. First, the striker fired wide on the run and then missed badly from a few yards out when set up by Chan Chaya. Eight minutes into the second half and Crown nosed in front with a converted penalty from defender Odion Obadin. Chaya was felled as he broke into the penalty box on one of his trademark surging runs and Obadin stepped up to drill his spot-kick down the middle. Substitute Sok Pheng and Chaya both rolled shots inches wide of the target before Pheng made no mistake with a close range finish after good approach work by Ly Kimhor and Koem Sophanal with twenty minutes left on the clock. Sophanal had two good chances to increase the lead late on, as he cut through the BBU back-line only to find Sos Proshim in the way both times. The game ended with Crown taking the friendly honours 2-0. Three of the Crown squad were unavailable, with Sok Sovan, Sos Suhana and Hong Pheng in Vietnam with the Cambodian U-22 squad for a friendly against Saigon FC, which ended 0-0.

PPCFC line-up v BBU: Chamrouen, Srin (Seyha 46), Vanthan (Da 46), Lika, Obadin, Asonibe (Lyhor 61), Sovanna, Sothy (Sophanal 61 (Makara 89)), Chaya, Makara (Rathanak 46), Tarley (S Pheng 61).

Odion Obadin opens the scoring from the penalty spot on 53 minutes

Melvin Tarley is denied by BBU keeper Hem Simay in the 1st half

Before the game

Having a chat with Tampines coach Steven Tan before the game. Pic Andrew Him.

Andrew Him, a photographer in Singapore, snapped a couple more pictures of me before the match began on Wednesday night. He also took some great action shots of the game, which he's posted onto his Facebook page. He felt the floodlights weren't strong enough for good photography, but then he's never been to a game at the Olympic Stadium under lights. Then he would have something to be annoyed about. I hear the AFC tested the Olympic lights for their lux value recently and found them hopelessly understrength for international matches. No surprise there.

Reviewing the opposition team line-up with Crown coach David Booth. Pic. Andrew Him.

"We gave them the game"

Coach David Booth speaks to the Singapore press after the match

Phnom Penh Crown coach David Booth wasn't at all happy with his team's defending in their 4-3 defeat at the hands of Tampines Rovers in the RHB Singapore Cup tie played at Clementi Stadium. After the match he commented: "They didn't win it, we gave them the game. We gave away four goals, easy goals. We had a job to do, we've worked for three days on what to do and how to do it and we've just not done it, and handed them two goals in a minute at the end of the 1st half. Other than that we've come back, tried to make a game of it and then given them the last goal again by not doing the job and the work I've asked them to do. If we can't do the job, don't go inside the field.
I was pleased we went out and showed some spirit and some pressure, but we got back to 3-3 and then gave a soft goal away again. It defies all the work we've put in. It's soul-destroying for some players who are working so hard. I just felt we've thrown the game away when we had a chance to do something. It's very disappointing really."

"Good game"

David Booth at the aftermatch press conference

Phnom Penh Crown head coach David Booth was upbeat after watching his team lose with virtually the last kick of the game from the penalty spot, against Kyrgyz team Dordoi in tonight's AFC President's Cup tie. "It was a good game by both teams given the conditions. I thought we were quite comfortable for most of the game, we dealt with everything right up until the last thirty seconds. We had a good chance right at the end but we didn't hit the target. We had a few chances to be fair but we've got to make the keeper work, especially in these conditions. I thought we played quite well, we were positive considering the circumstances - it's only 48 hours since we played in the same conditions - so I thought our fitness was good, we just lost concentration at the very last moment.
We can't talk about creative football tonight, any chances came about because the ball was sticking or skidding in and around the box, that created the excitement tonight rather than good play. Should the game have been played - in Asia they'll play it, anywhere else they may've waited until tomorrow. The referee was correct to bring us off in the first-half, it was impossible, it was a danger. It got a bit better and both teams did quite well to make a game of it.
I was happy with 90 minutes but not happy with the last thirty seconds. It was a shame really as it spoiled a lot of hard work. It took a penalty to beat us, other than that it would've been 0-0 and we would be saying we'd done really well. But the penalty takes away a lot of the gloss of the hard work we put in. They've worked hard tonight, put a lot of work in, as well as the other night, so it looks promising if we can continue in this vein.
These are good games for us, against Dordoi and coming up in Singapore, a good test for us. We've played quite well in the last couple of games, which will set us up quite well for the local fixtures when we return from Singapore. Obviously I'm happy to progress [in the AFC President's Cup]. Today's game was probably irrelevant but the players stuck to their guns, they wanted to play, they wanted to keep the pressure on themselves to win, which is encouraging."
Dordoi head coach Sergey Dvoryankov was less happy. "The game was not good because of the weather - the pitch conditions were awful. We couldn't play our normal game. We had the better chances to score but it didn't work for us. We should've had another penalty as well as the one we got. We want to win this cup as we want to play in the AFC Cup competition next year."

Coach talk

David Booth after his team's 1-0 success v Nepal Police

Englishman David Booth had this to say after his Phnom Penh Crown team had successfully qualified for the AFC President's Cup final round with a 1-0 win over Nepal Police Club at the Olympic Stadium; "It was always going to be tough with all the rain and the water on the field. Both coaches were dubious before the start, but in the end it was the right decision, because it got better. There was a lot of pressure at the end, but they only had one real chance, other than that I thought we defended quite well. Anyone who put the ball into the box today was under pressure, because of the circumstances. I felt we tired towards the end, lost our shape a bit, but our defenders worked hard to stay in the game. But to be fair, they were also tired.
I was happy after the first 15 minutes, but at the start we were hacking the ball anywhere. After that we started playing and we created chances in both halves. We hit the post 3 or 4 times and created enough chances to win. We'll play the same game (against Dordoi), we are the home team, we have expectations, see the crowd tonight, so we have to try and win the game for them. Tonight I pushed my two wide men forward and told the team to hit the three strikers early, over the ground and to support the strikers. It worked for us. Though for the midfielders it was like watching tennis.
Nepal tried to play, it was a good game I thought. They were quite compact, competent but didn't make enough chances. They played some decent football. It wasn't an easy game by any means. Wednesday will be a good test for us, Dordoi have won the competition twice before. We are still a new team, eight new players or positional changes, so tonight was a good result for us."

After-match chat

Head coach David Booth at the press conference

Phnom Penh Crown's head coach David Booth spoke at the after-match press conference about his team's 8-0 success over the Bhutanese team, Yeedzin. "You don't know how it's going to go in games like this. You set up your own team and try to make sure they start properly. Our biggest problem in the last few weeks is that we've made mistakes early in the game, and it nearly happened again today. We got away with it. I think 8-0 flattered us a little bit, we were still a bit too sloppy at the back at times.
We felt that after 15-20 minutes, their back four was quite square, so we were looking to play 1-2's and round the side of them and it worked well. For this level of competition, I withdrew our two wider players. They are both quite quick. It worked for us today and it gave us a lot of chances in the first-half. I think the Bhutan team suffered with the weather today, it destroyed them really. Our players train in this heat so we are more used to it.
In the second-half, I felt the wind would hold the ball up better for us and I told the team to get the ball up to the front men, support them, more 1-2's, and play behind them as that's where the danger was. We had a lot of chances. If we'd scored more it would've been a little embarrassing.
It will be a different game on Monday against Nepal. We need to tighten up our concentration. We didn't cover each other well enough at the back. We are not the strongest team by a mile - we've got to be very careful. We've got one result, if we can get another win, somehow, whichever way we can, we'll go through. So Monday is a very important game for us. I'd rather win on Monday then need to win on Wednesday.
I don't think Emmanuel will play again in this competition. His injury is far worse than it looks. I think it's a torn calf muscle, it wasn't a kick, just a twist. Sok Pheng got injured as well; he asked to come off just before he scored his goal. He doesn't score easy goals, no tap-in's, he only scores fantastic goals. Tiny also has one or two bumps to sort out."

Hat-trick hero Khim Borey was upbeat after the final whistle. "I'm very happy and excited to score a hat-trick for my club today. It's very important for the team and for my own confidence. I felt our team understood each other, we passed well and co-operated together against the Bhutan team. 8 goals was wonderful but we wanted more. For the next match, the Nepal team is a very good team but both the team and myself will try our very best to win on Monday. We know what we have to do."