In a classic nail-biter, at the Smart RSN Stadium on October 20, Phnom Penh Crown secured a dramatic 4-3 victory over defending champions Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng in the Cambodian Premier League (CPL).

The result marked Svay Rieng's second defeat of the season, leaving them temporarily in 4th place. Their Spanish coach, Jose Munoz, was understandably frustrated after the match, especially since his team made costly mistakes both in defence and attack.

“The result is exactly what I expected. Crown played well, and they deserved the win,” Munoz said, after the game. 

“But we made too many mistakes. We gave them too many chances, and when you do that, it’s hard to win,” he added.

Svay Rieng's defence struggled throughout the match, and that allowed Crown’s Nnamdi Ofufu Ibeh to fire home two quick goals in the 19th and 23rd minutes. Svay Rieng fought back, with their star player, Min Ratanak, scoring in the 27th minute to pull one back. However, just before halftime, Brazilian striker Pablo Augusto Servo De Carvalho added another for Crown in the 43rd minute, ending the first half 2-2.

The second half brought more twists and turns. In the 61st minute, Crown's Dutch forward Jelle Joost Goselink put his team back in the lead at 3-2. But Svay Rieng wasn’t done yet – Sareth Krya equalised in the 63rd minute to make it 3-3. However, it was Filipino forward Javier Augustine Gayoso who proved to be the match-winner for Crown, scoring the decisive goal in the 79th minute to secure the 4-3 victory.

Svay Rieng’s Nick Taylor (in blue) avoids a tackle from hosts Phnom Penh Crown in Sunday’s match, held at the Smart RSN Stadium. CPL

With the win, Phnom Penh Crown retained their top spot in the league, with a perfect record of 7 wins from 7 matches, earning 21 points. Svay Rieng dropped to 4th place, with 12 points from 6 games, tied with 5th-place Nagaworld, who also won 2-0 against Sihanoukville’s Life FC on the same day.

Munoz reflected on his team's performance and compared it to previous narrow defeats. 

“It was similar to our matches against BG Pathum United and Visakha. We managed the game well and created plenty of chances, but in the end, we didn’t capitalise, and the result was disappointing,” he noted.

Despite the loss, Munoz acknowledged the challenge of playing away from home. "Scoring three goals away against a team like Phnom Penh Crown is no easy feat, but we ended up conceding four, and that cost us the game," he added.

Svay Rieng's defensive errors were especially costly, as Munoz pointed out.

Svay Rieng’s Jose Munoz (left) and Crown’s Oleg Starynskyi greet each other ahead of the October 20 match. CPL

“We had opportunities in the first 30 minutes, but Crown managed to score twice. We didn’t defend well when they attacked our penalty box, and when we went forward, our offensive play wasn’t as sharp as it should have been,” he explained.

Crown coach Oleg Starynskyi hailed the thrilling nature of the match and praised both teams for their quality play. 

“It was a great game, and I'm sure the fans enjoyed it. We knew how Svay Rieng would play, and we prepared for that. We came up with a few strategies to break them down, and it worked in the end,” he said.

With the league heating up, the rivalry between these two top teams is set to continue, and both sides will be looking to improve their performances in upcoming fixtures. For now, however, Phnom Penh Crown sits proudly at the top, while Svay Rieng will be reflecting on what went wrong in this thrilling encounter.