On Chanpolin (in red) caused Sieng Chanthea to fall, led to the referee awarding a free kick to Boeung Ket, a decision the Crown coach considered unreasonable. CPL
Phnom Penh Crown continued their winning streak with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Boeung Ket, keeping up their chase of league leaders Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, who also secured three more points. Meanwhile, Visakha also claimed three points against Nagaworld in the weekend’s Top 6 Cambodian Premier League (CPL) action.
Despite the win, Crown head coach Oleg Starynskyi, expressed his dissatisfaction with referee Chy Samdy's officiating.
He specifically criticised the decision to penalise Crown captain Orn Chanpolin for a collision with Sieng Chanthea, which resulted in Boeung Ket earning a free kick and subsequently scoring a goal.
“We had a good start, but Boeung Ket managed to fight back. Some of the goals they scored were unexpected, and I honestly don’t understand why that free kick was given,” said Starynskyi.
vay Rieng dominated Angkor Tigers, scoring five goals. They did not have it all their own way, with the Tigers finding the net twice. CPL
“Collisions like that are common in football. It happened nearly 10 times during the match, yet in some cases, the referee penalised the play, and in others, he did not,” added the Ukrainian coach.
Crown took an early lead, going up 2-0 in the first six minutes. Nieto Rondon scored the opening goal just 45 seconds into the match, followed by Nnamdi Ofufu Ibeh doubling the lead in the 6th minute.
However, Boeung Ket responded when Chanthea was brought down, prompting a free kick.
Scott Charlie Thomas converted the free kick in the 35th minute, and Chanthea equalised in the 45+1st minute, making it 2-2.
Crown regained the lead in the 45+6th minute after receiving a free kick of their own, which Yudai Ogawa successfully converted, securing the 3-2 victory.
This crucial win keeps Crown within reach of reigning champions Svay Rieng, who dominated Angkor Tiger with a 5-2 victory on Saturday. The gap between the top two teams remains at four points (58 to 54).
Elsewhere, Visakha battled to a 1-0 victory over Nagaworld on Sunday, maintaining their position in third place with 50 points.
Meanwhile, Angkor Tiger sits on 40 points, Nagaworld on 36, and Boeung Ket at 30, placing them last in the top 6 and officially eliminating them from title contention.
Despite Boeung Ket’s elimination from the title race, head coach Conor Nestor expressed disappointment not over the standings but over his team’s performance.
He believed they failed to replicate their strong showing from their 1-0 loss to Svay Rieng on February 23.
“I don’t think we’ve been in the title race for the past three months. But what disappoints me is that we couldn’t maintain the same level of play as we did last week against Svay Rieng,” he said.
“Today, we played well for only half of the match. When facing top teams with good coaches, you cannot expect to win by playing well only part of the time,” he added.
With eight matches remaining in the Top 6 stage, the battle for the championship continues.
