Boeung Ket Angkor win a tetchy encounter at the home of the Champions

Phnom Penh Crown 0 – Boeung Ket Angkor 1

RSN Stadium, Saturday 30^th April 2016

These two teams don’t like each other. That much was apparent on the 70^th minute as a second 22-man brawl threatened to break out. Boueng Ket Angkor goalkeeper Sou Yaty sprinted into the melee and appeared to aim a punch. Water bottles were thrown at the visiting players from Phnom Penh Crown fans in the cheap seats. The first brawl had occurred minutes earlier and resulted in a referee, who was slowly losing control of the match, sending a player from each side to the stands. For Crown it was Jang In Yong – a debut to forget for the much-traveled South Korean who had earlier missed a point-blank opportunity and Crown’s best chance of the match.

These two teams may be rivals in the Metfone Cambodian Premier League but, once the dust had cleared, rivals now separated by seven points following this 1-0 win by the visiting Boueng Ket Angkor at the home of the champions.

The rubber-men were marginally the better side and deserved their victory. Phnom Penh Crown may be relatively solid at the back but are essentially toothless in attack. A desolate and isolated George Kelechi trying to lead the line. Balls played over-the-top to the Nigerian but no supporting teammates; Kelechi picking up the ball in his own half and with no red shirts ahead to find.

It was Kelechi who created Crown’s best chance – a run and turn on the left wing and a great cross into the six-yard box. For once a Crown payer in an excellent position to capitalise but In Yong completely fluffed his unmarked header. Yong and In Sodavid were notionally assigned co-attacking duties with Kelechi but, despite some sparks from the latter, were not up to the task. Mid way through the second half, to the cheers of a close to capacity crown at the RSN, Keo Sokpheng entered as the substitute. A player whose importance and value to the team has increased exponentially during his absence.

However minutes after Sokpheng’s entry the game's decisive moment. Chan Vathanaka curled an excellent free-kick into the area and Sok Sovan converted to give Boeung Ket Angkor a lead they did not relinquish. The white-shirted visitors had also enjoyed the better of the first half – CV11 in space down the right and captain Khuon Laboravy on the left. Crown left-back Seut Baraing is a good player and an attacking threat but defensively still very much learning – veteran French centre-back Anthony Aymard visibly encouraging and mentoring the youngster – and Boeung Ket Angkor exploited this throughout regularly aiming balls into CV11’s space. Whilst the Cambodian star did not score his assist was excellent.

Crown are slowly improving – a win over Army prior to this narrowish defeat – but the reality is they may be out of the title race and have not beaten their biggest rivals in their past four encounters.