Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng (in blue) travelled to Siem Reap to take on Angkor Tigers on Saturday. Svay Rieng/CPL
The head coach of Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng acknowledged that his side had to work extremely hard to earn three points from Angkor Tiger FC over the weekend and stay in contention for the Cambodian Premier League (CPL) top spot.
Meanwhile, the National Defence Ministry FC missed out on a chance to compete for a top six position after a poor performance against Boeung Ket.
Svay Rieng coach Pep Munoz considered the 3-2 away win over the Siem Reap-based Tigers a very tense match, noting that his squad found themselves under serious pressure from the constant attacks of the hosts.
“Angkor Tiger pressured us constantly and ran at us all the time, especially their foreign players. They really worked hard from the first minute to the last,” he said.
The Spanish coach praised the level of play and competitive spirit of the Tigers, who have made great progress and become a competitive side in the 2024-25 season. They are currently in 4th place with 10 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, earning 33 points.
“We want to celebrate and praise Angkor Tiger for their efforts. They started the match better than we did, but what's good for us is that we scored the goals and won the match tonight,” he said.
Svay Rieng was the first to score, with national representative Nhean Sosidan finding the net in the 50th minute.
The Tigers were buoyed by a rare slip by Svay Rieng’s Japanese defender Takashi Odawara, who scored an own goal in the 64th minute. Boungkong Bounphachan drove another home in the 79th to put Svay Rieng ahead 2-1 before Odawara redeemed himself in the 88th minute to put the game beyond doubt.
Striker Mat Noron (in white), scored the equaliser for Boeung Ket in the 79th minute of the match at the National Stadium on Sunday. CPL
Tiger’s Japanese forward Nagashima Kodai scored a consolation goal a minute later, with the match ending 3-2.
With the additional 3 points from the win, Svay Rieng stays in 2nd place and remains in a strong position to compete for 1st place with Phnom Penh Crown, who claimed a 2-0 victory over the interior ministry on the same day. Crown now lead with 47 points, just a single point ahead of Svay Rieng.
Meanwhile, Visakha FC, who ended their contract with coach Kalns Jurgis on January 31 and appointed interim coach Tunji Ayoyinka Akeeb, won 2-1 over the home team Kirivong Sok Sen Chey to remain in 3rd place with 41 points. NagaWorld FC beat ISI Dangkor Sen Chey 3-1 to stay in 5th place with 30 points.
The army team was unable to maintain their lead after Tetsuaki Misawa scored, with the home team, Boeng Ket, equalising with a successful penalty shot by striker Mat Noron in the 79th minute.
The 1-1 draw keeps Boeng Ket in a strong position for a Top six finish, as they remain in 6th place with 27 points, closely followed by ISI Dangkor Sen Chey, on 24 points. Boeng Ket still have two matches left in the second round.
In contrast, the army side no longer has a chance to compete for a Top six finish, as their 18 points automatically places them in the bottom five, with two matches remaining.
