Defeat in week 3

PPCFC vs Naga, Lost 2-1: back row, LtoR: Kelechi, Aymard, Thierry N, Makara, Boris (capt). Front: Soksela, Chanpolin, Boran, Titchhy, Baraing, Sodavid

Saturday 5 March 2016: Phnom Penh Crown 1 Nagaworld 2 (Metfone C-League Week 3):
Crown were caught cold from the start and conceded after just 24 seconds of the game when Kouch Sokumpheak flicked in a right-wing center from Privat Mbarga and the ball bobbled through the legs of Keo Soksela in the Crown goal. In response, Neou Thierry headed over and Long Boran’s far post nod was stopped on the goal-line. Soksela came out quickly to halt Rasheed Omokafe’s run and chip and later in the first-half he did the same to Mbarga, before a one-handed low save to deny Park Yong-Jun. Crown’s best effort came courtesy of a 25-yard In Sodavid free-kick that was smothered at the foot of the upright by Yok Ary.
After the break, Sodavid’s run and shot and Seut Baraing’s deflected drive failed to trouble Naga’s keeper before the home side extended their lead on 65 minutes. Sun Sovanrithy’s deep left-wing cross was headed in unopposed at the far post by Mbarga to give Crown a mountain to climb. Ouk Sothy and Leng Makara sent efforts wide before Sean Pissa joined the action and within 40 seconds he’d reduced the deficit with a glorious curling strike into the roof of the net from just inside the penalty area. The goal came with 10 minutes remaining but Crown couldn’t make their pressure count and their last chance went astray when a Chhom Pisa drive from the edge of the area sailed over the top. It was Crown’s first defeat of the new season in week 3. PPCFC vs Naga: Soksela, Baraing, Titchhy (C Pisa 46), Aymard, Boris, Chanpolin, N Thierry (S Pissa 79), Kelechi, Boran (Sothy 66), Makara, Sodavid. Subs not used:  S Samnang, Yaneat, Senteang, Tola. Goal: Pissa (80). Referee: Chi Samedi.

Sunday 6 March 2016: Phnom Penh Crown Academy 1 FFC National Academy 0 (Friendly).
It was back to winning ways for the Crown Academy mixed team against the FFC Academy at Olympic Stadium this morning. In this 105-minute match of four periods, Crown dominated the first two periods and efforts from Yeu Muslim and Sin Kakada struck the woodwork, while Pov Ponvuthy, Sath Rozak and Mit Samel also went close to breaking the deadlock. FFC pressed in the third period and keeper Svang Samnang showed his class with two brave saves. On 97 minutes Men Piphop created space for himself in the opposition penalty area, taking a Ponvuthy pass in his stride, and rifled the ball home for the only goal of the game, to take Crown’s record to 11 wins in 12 matches against the FFC Academy. It was the first game under new coach Oleg Starynskyi.

Week 2 review

The MCL table after week 2. 3 teams have maximum points after completion of Week 2 of the Metfone C-League 2016. PKR Svay Rieng, Boeungket and Army are all on six points, with PPCFC in 4th spot with four points. The results from Week 2 are:
(Fri) National Police 0 PPCFC 0
(Sat) Nagaworld 0 Army 1 (Myong-Ho)
Boeungket 6 (Ajayi 2, Sovan, Laboravy, Wada, Vathanaka) Western 0
(Sun) AEU 1 (Moneke) CMAC 5 (Okereke 3, Rhoda, Makara)
PKRSvay Rieng 6 (Jong-Ho 3, Atuhaire 2, Samnang) Cambodian Tiger 1 (Tomoki).

Goal-less at Olympic

PPCFC vs Nat Police, back row, LtoR: Kelechi, Pissa, Aymard, Sokngon, Makara, Boris (capt). Front Row: Soksela, Sodavid, Chanpolin, Baraing, Booysen

Friday 26 February 2016 : Phnom Penh Crown 0 National Police 0 (Metfone C-League Week 2).
Crown will see this as two points dropped, after they failed to make their domination of the match count in front of goal. The game started in the worse possible fashion with dangerman Shane Booysen hobbling off after just a minute with a twisted knee, with Long Boran replacing him and Seut Baraing moving into midfield. Baraing tried his luck with a thirty-yard free-kick that goalkeeper Prak Pherun grabbed at the second attempt. A poor pass by Keo Soksela presented Nuth Sinoun with a glorious opportunity inside the Crown penalty box but his weak shot was cleared by Anthony Aymard. Tith Dina’s free-kick found Adekunjo Busayo in space but his header was straight at Soksela. With few clear chances in the first-half, both goalkeepers had to deal with long range efforts with Pherun diving full length to push aside a George Kelechi effort, and Soksela tipping over a Noun Borey drive from wide on the left. Orn Chanpolin’s effort on the break was deflected wide by Sinoun and In Sodavid’s ball behind the Police defence was missed completely by Keo Sokngon in the six-yard box.  In the last minute, another Sodavid  cross was dropped by Pherun but Sokngon’s attempted lob was way off target, and with the final kick, Borey sent a long range effort over the cross-bar.
Kelechi glanced a header inches wide from Sean Pissa’s cross just after the break, Soksela was in the right place to punch away a Sinoun free-kick and then he collected a Oh Ju-Ho shot through a crowd of players. A 30-yard attempt by Boran cleared the bar, Sokngon will feel he should’ve done better when he got on the end of a Leng Makara cross, Kelechi blasted across the face of goal and Seut Baraing’s 20-yard drilled right-foot drive was tipped over by Pherun. Just before the end, Sokngon headed wide at the far post from Kelechi’s pass, he then shot weakly at Pherun from another Kelechi feed and then supplied Sodavid, but he curled his drive over. In the seventh minute of time added on, Baraing sent a free-kick two yards over the top as the game ended goal-less, with disappointment etched on the faces of the Crown players and staff.

Head coach Oriol Mohedano gave his views at the end of the game. “Not a happy day for us. We expected more from the game. We should’ve done better in the first half, but we didn’t attack well. Respect to our opponents in the first half who surprised us with their intensity. The sensations after such a match; we are disappointed, the result it’s not enough for us. We pushed for the win, but it never came.” PPCFC v Nat Police: Soksela, Makara, Baraing, Aymard, Boris, Chanpolin, Pissa (Sothy 70), Sokngon, Sodavid, Booysen (Boran 6), Kelechi. Subs (not used): S Samnang, Thierry N, Titchhy, Senteang, Tola. Booking: Sothy.

MCL 2016 - Week 1

Results from Round 1 of the Metfone C-League 2016:
PPCFC 3 (Booysen 3) Cambodian Tiger 1 (Masakazu)
National Police 1 (Osei Tutu) Army 4 (Soksana 2, Vannak, Myong Ho)
Naga 1 (Mbarga) Western 1 (Bunny)
PKR Svay Rieng 6 (Kipson 2, S Samnang 2, Visal, Latif) CMAC 2 (Okereke, Vergez)
Boeungket 3 (Vathanaka 2, Ajayi) AEU 2 (Moneke, Hai). 

Off to a flying start

PPCFC back row, LtoR: Aymard, Pissa, Sokngon, Makara, Kelechi, Boris (capt). Front: Soksela, Chanpolin, Sodavid, Baraing, Booysen.

Friday 19 February 2016 : Phnom Penh Crown 3 Cambodian Tiger 1 (Metfone C-League).
Crown came out on top in an exciting season's opener at RSN Stadium tonight. The visitors began brightly  with Suong Virak skating around home keeper Keo Soksela but he planted his shot into the side netting. Soon after Om Thavrak rose highest to head a corner inches over the bar and Mura Tomoki sent a left-foot shot skidding wide. However, a careless foul by Or Sophoan in the back of George Kelechi gave Shane Booysen the opportunity to put his team ahead on 17 minutes with a well-aimed free-kick from 20 yards. Hem Simay in the Tiger goal pulled off a great 1-handed stop to deny Booysen and then saved from Kelechi's header before Keo Sokngon poked the rebound against the upright. Sokngon saw his header from In Sodavid's volleyed cross rebound off the other post, Simay saved another attempt at point blank range from Crown's No 9 and Sodavid was inches away before Keo Soksela stopped a fierce drive by Sadakuni Tomoyuki just before the interval. An action-packed first-half, with a booking for Seut Baraing on his 1st-team debut on 25 minutes.
Moments after Orn Chanpolin blasted wide with a clear sight on goal ten minutes after the break, it was Booysen who doubled his side's lead when he coolly side-footed in from Sokngon's pass on 56 minutes. New boys Anthony Aymard and Kelechi were both involved in the build-up, while Tiger claimed Thavrak had been fouled by the goalscorer but their protests fell on deaf ears. That signalled the introduction of Tiger's player-coach Kihara Masakazu and he pepped his team up, reducing the deficit with a powerful drive on 72 minutes from Tomoki's pull-back. The home fans continued to cheer their team on and their efforts were rewarded with a third and decisive goal on 83 minutes. Baraing and Booysen worked a short corner routine and the South African's low drive took a deflection off Men Seyha's boot to nestle in the back of the net. Effectively game over though Soksela had to pull off a smart stop from Taing Sopheak, and Sodavid raced clear but finished weakly. Three points for the champions from their first match of their defence of their title.

PPCFC v C/Tiger: Soksela, Makara, Baraing, Aymard, Boris, Chanpolin, Pissa (Thierry N 88), Sokngon (Tola 71), Sodavid, Booysen, Kelechi. Subs (not used): Chanvuthy, Sothy, Boran, Yaneat, Charly, Noeut, Sakrovy, Senteang. Booking: Baraing. Goals: Booysen 3 (17, 56, 83). Attendance: 2,774. 

Crown  head coach Oriol Mohedano gave his brief thoughts after the final whistle, a 3-1 success in his first Metfone C-League game in charge of the team: "In the beginning, we can see lots of passion and fighting but not too much thought as our opponents started well. Then we had the free-kick that changed the score and our confidence grew, step by step, and we started doing what we've been working on in training. Good signs and it went to plan. After going 2-nil ahead, our opponents made it difficult for us but it was a logical victory, against a good team. I must say that Shane (Booysen) arrived on time for us, he hasn't played much in training for us and we hope he's now recovered from his injury. He's very important to our team."

Hat-trick hero Shane Booysen spoke about his game and his goals in the 3-1 win. "I was confident but I'd had no training or pre-season games because of my injury, so I was prepared to come on as a substitute. I'd been away on holiday, so this was my first start and I was nervous, even though I'm an experienced player. When we got the free-kick, I thought it would boost my confidence so I took it. I scored and it really boosted my morale. The first game is really important to set the foundation for the rest of the season. I thought our players fought together as a team, we know each other very well and our combination play was very good.
For the first 15 minutes I was tired, breathing-wise, though legs-wise I was okay. When I got my second breath, it was fine but my match fitness wasn't there at the start. In the second-half our team's confidence grew, we supported each other, we followed the coach's instructions and I could score the goals because of the support of my teammates. Our young players and their extra energy and fresh minds really helps the team.
For free-kicks, it's usually Thierry or me. I took responsibility for this first set piece, though last season I didn't score from a direct free-kick. I saw the goalkeeper and the wall set up for the ball to go one way, so I put it in the other corner. I got the speed and the right angle, it went past the wall and we went ahead. For the second goal, I went for the ball (with Thavrak), it was a 50-50 ball and he slipped in front of me, I stood up and we counter-attacked. I never saw it as a foul, neither of us touched the ball. Sokngon passed the ball, I took it off the defenders toe and the keeper went one way, so I put it the other way. For my third goal, we practiced the move in training the day before, and our training ground routines worked well in the game. I thought if I kick it hard enough, on target, it might go in and it did, with a deflection. I was very happy it went in."